Nobody's Little Girl
by HelloElla
Summary: A billionaire couple searches for their long lost daughter. A lonely, troubled young man finds and gives refuge to a homeless girl with no name. Paths are crossed and hearts are given, but you can't keep what was never yours.
1. Run

**Hello everyone. Thanks for giving my story a chance. **

**There are few things you should know before reading. It might get very angsty at times and things may look dark, but it all goes towards a well deserved HEA.**

**Bella in this story is meant to have bad grammar. So some non words like "ain't" and the double negatives are on purpose :) **

**See you at the bottom…I hope.**

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Chapter 1- Run

My cheeks sting and keep me awake. They are cut and in pain, victims of Seattle's cold winds.

I don't open my eyes. I only slept for a few minutes. Can't keep both eyes shut for too long out here.

I'm determined to sleep a little longer. Crawling around sleepless and tired is not the way to survive these streets.

But my head hurts.

My stomach growls in anger. I haven't fed it in two days. I just can't. I don't have any money.

My lips are chapped, my clothes are uncomfortably damp and dirty. My scalp itches and my back hurts from sleeping on the hard pavement.

But this is my life.

I've lived it like this for the past five years.

I hear a man laugh from the distance. I automatically sit up and look around. Living in the streets as a girl, you learn quickly that you can't trust dudes. They either wanna grab ya or poke ya and some even just want to hit ya for fun. Sick bastards. I ain't up for none of that.

I scrub my eyes with my filthy hands, trying to convince them that its time to get up. I know I'm hidden well from view, but you can never be too careful, so I crane my neck in all directions, making sure I'm safe. I sit against the wet wall, shove some strands of my greasy hair into my beanie and try to come up with a plan to get food.

I could beg. I could sit outside that one church with the scary statues. I could come up with a few dollars there. People around that area always seem to be nice or at least pretend so they can be in God's good list.

_Give the dirty homeless girl a buck._

But it's been hard lately. It gets harder every day. It seems the older I get the less pity people feel for me and the less money I get thrown at.

They think I'm some sort of drug addict or troublemaker.

Some teenage runaway.

Sometimes they tell me "go home, kid" and "call your mom and ask her for forgiveness and she'll take you right back." I don't ever correct them. I just nod and try to look appreciative of their advice.

If they only knew I've never had a home.

And I've never had a mom.

I've been living on the streets since I was 12. Before that I was moved from one foster home to another. It's a long story, but even I don't know most of it.

My stomach growls again.

I've been hungry all my life. One gets used to everything, even the bad. But the pain in my belly is sometimes too much.

It hurts.

On good days I can get up to 20 bucks. I make the most of that money so I can get more.

I'm smart…well sorta.

I buy a big meal, like a burger, that I make last for two days. Then I buy some soap and sneak into a gas station and wash my face, arms, hands and hair in the sink.

People are more likely to say yes if I look half decent. I wash my jacket too and ask around for a "quick job." I like earning my bucks. It feels better than to beg.

I also get less nasty looks from strangers.

Mowing lawns, washing cars, cleaning windows and sometimes some ladies let me clean their house for some extra cash. Most people don't trust me though and don't let me.

Those are good days.

Most days are bad though. Like the past week.

It starts to rain. Even though rain is normal around here, people still rather stay inside their homes than to be out here.

No successful begging for me. I can't say I blame them either. It ain't exactly cheery in the rain.

I try anyway and sit outside the creepy church. I get about four wet bucks, a few quarters and two lectures about life and God.

I try a dumpster outside this one hot dog place that always seems to throw away buns on Thursdays.

They're going to hell for wasting, that's what I say.

I find a few buns that look half decent, brush off some crud, shove them into my backpack and run before the owners find me. Last time they called the cops on me.

Jerks.

I go back to my spot under the old bridge. Hardly any other bums come around here since its close the police station. I figured, cops wouldn't think to look here. Who would be dumb enough to sleep under a bridge next to a police station?

Smart I tell ya.

I swallow the hot dog buns with desperation and drink the last drops of water in my bottle and sit back waiting for the rain to take a break. I can tell my belly didn't like the nasty bread and I'm thirsty, but I just ignore it.

I try my best to stay away from the water making its way under the bridge.

If you get wet, you get cold and if you get cold, you get sick. Being sick out here can be deadly with nobody to get food or water for you and no doctor.

So I stay dry as much as possible.

I stare at my shoes and the holes on every side of them. My feet and hands are cold.

I rub my cold hands together for some warmth.

My pants are dirty and gross. My jacket smells weird and I'm pretty sure to everyone else I smell worse.

I pull it tighter to me since it's getting colder. It's too big on me and it gets bigger every day I don't eat. One time I was staying at a shelter, the director there gave away clothes since they got a huge donation from some store. Everyone grabbed shirts and pants. I grabbed a jacket since I knew I wasn't getting off the streets anytime soon and I needed to stay warm.

I was right. On the streets I live.

Everyday I wonder when something will change for me. When will I get off these streets?

I don't have a social security number that I know of or a birth certificate so I can't get an ID or a job.

I open my back pack that holds another t-shirt, a very thin blanket, my water bottle and my rag doll, Dolly.

They told me that my real mom left Dolly with me when she gave me away as a baby, so I kept it even though she didn't keep me.

I sit Dolly in front of me and run my fingers through her hair. It's supposed to be blonde but with the dirtiness of my life, its looks gray.

"Hey D-D-Dolly. Are yo-you-you hungry?" There is another obstacle. Well I have three actually.

I stutter. I stutter really bad. People think I'm stupid or one of them "special" kids. But I ain't.

The other two obstacles?

I can't read or write.

I never made it to school.

That's a whole different story.

Dolly has been my only friend. Ever. She also doesn't think I'm stupid.

She don't say much. She just stares at me with her button blue eyes. I talk to her all the time. I try to get rid of my stutter while I talk to her, but it doesn't work.

I tell her about my day and what I'm thinkin. She never responds, so I just shove her back into my backpack or sleep with her tight in my arms dreaming she's real.

A real friend or sister.

"Mah-mah-my cheeks are red you s-s-say? Well its co-co-cold, Dolly." I caress her face and smile at her. "I'll keep you wa-wa-warm."

I sometimes wonder what it would feel like to be hugged warm. When I was a little girl, I would see how my foster parents would hug their real kids and then I would sleep real close to the wall and pretend my mom was hugging me.

I bet it wouldn't feel hard and cold like those walls.

I bet it would feel nice.

I guess I'll never know.

Who the hell would want to hug my filthy self?

Dolly stares at me while I stutter away about what I wish I had for dinner.

"A big stah-stah-stake with pota-ta-toes and a Coke. How about yo-you? Fish? Th-tha-that's gross."

Some bums think I'm crazy for talking to a doll, but it helps me not feel so lonely.

The rain finally stops and I shove Dolly back into the backpack. I run over to the gas station at the corner and check out the time. I go there because their clock is one with big red numbers and I've learned to read time like that.

It's almost five, when work lets out.

I rush over to the end of the next street, hoping someone will give some of the loose change in their pockets.

By six in the afternoon, I have 8 bucks in change. I buy a sandwich and only eat half. I save the rest for when I'm real hungry again. I fill up my water bottle from the sink of the sandwich place and run towards a women's shelter hoping there is a bed for me.

Sometimes when there aren't a lot of women there, they let me have a bed. They save them for women that are beat up by their husbands and for their kids, but since they don't all always get full, the lady in charge there lets me stay the night and lets me have breakfast.

That's twice or three times a month, but I try every night.

It's a no tonight. It's full.

I don't like going to regular shelters because there are mostly homeless men and drunks and I ain't getting near them. I'd rather sleep in the rain.

It doesn't seem like it's gonna rain tonight, so I head over to the park. Sleeping under the slides on the grass is more comfortable than the pavement.

On my way there I see Jessica standing at her usual corner. Jessica gets money from men, because she lets them touch her and do nasty stuff with her. She's nice sometimes and gives me some loose change she's got on her and even waves at me when she sees me walking by.

But I know not to bother her when she's on "business."

It doesn't seem like she's got any business so far, so I walk to her.

"Hey, Je-Je-Jessica."

"Hey, Kid."

Everyone that I know on the streets or knows of me calls me Kid. When I was five, my foster mom at the time couldn't remember my real name, ever, so she called me kid. I thought this was supposed to happen, so from then on I would tell people that my name was Kid and it stuck.

"Have yo-yo-you been getting good mo-mo-money?"

"Always, Kid," she says dryly and lights a cigarette. "But I can't give you any now."

"No, I did-di-didn't want any. I wa-was just askin."

"Oh, well…okay."

She looks at me and then quickly looks away as if she's trying to avoid looking at me in the eyes.

"Okay, I'll se-se-see you later," I mutter and start walking away.

A few steps away, I hear her curse and take a deep breath. "Where are you staying tonight, Kid? Maybe if I don't get any clients or finish early, I can let you stay on my couch?"

I think she feels bad for me sometimes.

"I'll be un-under the sli-slide at the park."

"Okay."

"Okay."

I sleep okay, until a noise wakes me up. At first, I try to ignore it and squeeze my eyes shut, but it continues. I realize that it's a man screaming.

Screams and curse words fill the night.

I crawl out from under the slide and look around. Something bad is happening. I can feel it in my gut. There are no stars in the sky and besides the screaming man it's strangely eerie and quiet.

"Help! Please! Someone help me!'

I take a deep breath and crawl back under the slide and hope the noise goes away, but the shouts continue and they seem to be closer and closer.

I'm scared.

I get up. I take a deep breath, bite my lip, grab my backpack and run. I don't know where to. I let my feet and heart decide. All I know is that the shouts for help are still getting closer and closer. I can hardly see anything. It's still late in the night.

I see a car's headlights on and for some stupid reason I run to them.

I freeze when I see what's going on.

There, in front of the car and on the ground, lays a man and around him a group of men and a woman.

"Get up rich boy!" the red headed woman screams.

"Fight back!" another man shouts.

"Fuck you!" The man on the ground manages to growl. He's holding his lower body in pain with one arm and trying to crawl away with his free arm, but they continue to beat him up. I stare on as the gang continues their cruelty with no idea of what to do.

It's not until one of the men kneels down on the poor guy's chest and pulls out a knife.

_They are gonna kill him! _

I don't know why I feel bad for the stranger or why I feel the need to do something. It's not the first time I've seen someone get their face smashed in or get stabbed, but for some unexplainable reason I don't want it to happen to this guy on the ground.

I grab the closest thing I can find, which is a brick from an alley and with all my might throw it at the man with the knife and shout "po-po-police!"

The man with the knife moans from the pain.

I hit him!

I hit him on the head!

But now I have four men and a woman staring at me with anger and the air has left my lungs.

Shit! What did I get myself into?

They all take a few steps towards me. Before I dash and make a run for it, I catch the man on the ground staring at me.

He's young. With the help from the headlights and through the blood and already forming bruises, I can see his eyes, burning with a fire that I don't understand. I can tell he's asking why I've helped him. I don't stick around to give answers.

Before I know it, I'm running.

I'm running so fast I feel like I'm floating.

I can't feel my feet hit the ground.

I hear the footsteps of the people running after me.

"We're gonna get you!"

"We're gonna kill you, you fucking bitch!"

I don't want to know if they are telling the truth and run faster. I can't breathe and my chest is hurting, but I can't stop.

I cross a street without looking and after I reach the other side of it, I hear a screeching car. I don't stop to see what happened and continue, taking a left turn.

I can tell I've lost them, but I don't slow down.

I find an alley and run into it. There is a dumpster. I'm small so I can squeeze behind it to hide.

"Where is she?" I hear someone whisper.

My face is against the cold and dirty dumpster. I cover my mouth with my hand.

"I don't know I think she ran that way."

"You okay, Jimmy?"

"Yes, Vicks. It's just a little blood. Let's find this little cunt."

I'm trembling. I can hear and feel their voices. I bite my lip and try to hold my breath. I hold myself, trying to stop the trembling.

They are close.

There is a shadow on the wall I'm leaning against.

_He's right in front of me._

He knocks on the dumpster. He whistles and chuckles.

"I know you can hear me," he whispers. His voice is icy and thick with evil. "You can run on for a long time, but sooner or later we're gonna find you and when we do…" He pauses and clicks his tongue a few times. "You'll finally have a home, but in God's paradise, little one."

After a few eternal minutes, I can hear their footsteps disappear but I don't dare move.

The ground and dumpster smell like piss and are wet. I lay my face against the wall and wrap my arms around myself.

I'm shaking.

I don't think it's because I'm cold.

I'm really scared. I can feel it deep in my bones.

I'm scared that they will find me and kill me. I don't wanna die. I wanna get off the streets one day.

All these years I've stayed away from gangs and men. That's what Cara, the 14 year old I met when I was 12 and a "new homeless," told me.

"You gotta be smart, Kid. If you wanna live, you gotta be smart. Nothing in these streets will be brought to light. If you get hurt, you're gonna die. Don't cross nobody and stay away from men."

I promised. But now here I am. All because of that stupid boy.

I wipe the one tear that escaped and close my eyes. I know I have to sleep. I didn't sleep at all last night, I ate once today and I'm cold. I'm gonna get sick and I can't afford that.

I know I'm gonna have to find a good hiding place for the next few weeks. I know they aren't gonna give up. If I don't find a good place to hide, they are gonna find me and kill me.

But I need to rest.

I'm not gonna sleep much, because all I can think about when I close my eyes is that boy. That beaten boy with the fire in his eyes.

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**How are we after that? Review? Yes? No? You hate me for making poor Bella/Kid live this life? Let me know about it…**

**Next update soon.**


	2. The Boy

**Sorry it took me a while. Thanks for showing interest in my story :) **

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Chapter 2- The Boy

Today I have enough money to buy something good. No more nasty stuff from dumpsters. That's all I have managed to feed on for the past week in hiding.

I'm scared and paranoid. I've been hiding in churches, shelters, and behind dumpsters. I haven't seen or heard the gang that promised to find and hurt me. I've been staying on a different side of town. I hope I don't run into them. I haven't slept much. I always keep an eye open and my body is always on alert that when I'm dozing off, a small sound will make me jump.

Yesterday I decided that eating so much stuff from the trash would eventually kill me, so I set off to get some money. I had a good day of begging at the corner of a church. I decided to get myself a burger today.

I don't really know this side of town so I walk for a few minutes, trying to find a burger place. My mouth waters and my belly growls just from thinking about how it's gonna taste.

I think I have enough for a big burger, fries and maybe even a soda.

I don't have enough for soap that's for sure. Maybe I'll just use the hand soap at some convenient store to wash my hair. I need to do something as my scalp is itching badly.

I grin widely when I finally find a place and hurry in. The other customers stare at me as I stand in line and some women even hold their bags closer to them. Some men just glance at me and then shake their heads.

I try not to get any attention, standing still and avoiding eye contact, but I must look really dirty, gross and like a monster. I just stare at my filthy shoes and hope the line hurries.

I can't wait. It smells delicious and I haven't had any good food in weeks. I feel like today is going to be a good day. It's a rare sunny afternoon in Seattle, without a hint of rain and I'm eating a burger. Maybe after, I can take a nap in the park and get a quick job afterward to make some cash.

Yep, it's gonna be a good day.

It's finally my turn to order.

This part makes me nervous. I can't read and I'm not that good with numbers, but I know I have ten bucks. The cashier stares at me and I can tell she is tense. She avoids eye contact with me, talks fast and looks behind her as if trying to ask her co-workers for help because I'm in front of her. She stares at my clothes and I can tell she's examining me and wondering how I got to be like this.

She might be scared of me.

I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to look at myself either.

A few times in the past, managers at some fast food places have called the cops on me. I don't know what I did, but I had to run like hell with an empty stomach.

I don't want the same to happen so I try to hurry.

"Tha-that one," I say, pointing at the picture. "Nu-numb-number one, puh-please."

"Fries?"

"Ye-yes and a Coke."

She gives me the total and I give her my crumpled ten dollar bill. She seems careful as she takes it from me, making sure not to touch my dirty hand.

_I have to find some way to clip my nails. They are gross._

She doesn't give me the change in my hand and instead places it on the counter, waiting for me to grab it.

I'm used to people treating me like a disease, so I smile at her anyway and ask for ketchup.

They give me my order fast, probably to get me out of the place.

I don't mind. I'm starving.

I run to the nearby park.

It's full today as its Sunday, but I'll just sit under a tree away from everyone and everything so I don't bother anybody.

I find a tree and sit on top of my backpack. I open my bag of food and almost dance from excitement. I wouldn't know how to dance, but just thinking about food gets me all giddy.

I take big bites at first and moan at the yummy taste of the burger. The warm grease and spices of the food are much better than the cold and bitter scraps I've been eating these past days. Before I can swallow the whole thing, I remind myself that I have to save half of it and if I eat too much, I'll get sick. I slow down, eating one fry at a time.

I look around the park and sigh when nobody is staring at me. It's a relief not to have their eyes on me. It's not like I don't know how I look compared to them. I don't need their help and I know what I am. I wish they wouldn't stare at me.

I like doing the staring instead. For some reason, I didn't get a family or friends so I like to stare at the ones in the park. I wonder if my parents are here and if they decided to have other kids and keep them. I wonder if they take their other kids out to the park or buy em stuff. I wonder if they know I exist somewhere in the world or if they feel bad for giving me away. Are they looking for me? Did they ever regret it?

They wouldn't even suspect that I'm here.

I wonder, sometimes, how it would feel to have someone to actually talk to or hang out with. How it would feel to have someone call me daughter or friend.

But I'm nobody's kid and I'm nobody's friend.

There are some kids running circles around their parents who are just talking amongst themselves.

I smile. They're lucky children.

There is a man walking with a little girl, holding her little hand and talking animatedly to her and she giggles. There is a woman sitting on the ground with a little boy and girl, having lunch I guess.

They must all be really happy. They are lucky to have each other. I would do anything to be in their place or just to spend one day with my mom and dad.

I safely wrap my last half of the burger and the rest of the fries and place them inside my backpack. I'm still hungry. My belly is begging me to eat the rest, but I know I can't, because if I don't make any money today I won't have anything to eat until tomorrow or the next day.

I decide it's too crowded to take a nap and I leave the park.

I find a convenient store and when the cashier isn't looking I sneak into the restroom. Most of them don't like it when bums use the restrooms and kick em out.

I stare at myself in the mirror. My face is filthy. My long brown hair is a greasy, tangled mess. My pale skin is covered in dirt, I look thinner than the last time I looked at myself and my brown eyes look really tired. I try not to pay much attention to myself.

Nobody really cares how I look. Nobody knows me.

I'm just another bum on the streets.

I wash my hands and face first and then as best as I can run some soap and water through my hair. I know I didn't get it clean, but at least it looks better and I'm not so itchy.

I run my hands through the mess, trying to untangle it as much as I can and realize how long it's grown. I usually don't pay attention to it as I have half of it stuffed into my beanie and the rest is a tangled mess.

I wash my mouth and teeth with hand soap.

My clothes are really dirty, but I don't bother with them and leave.

I stand at the corner of the street, look out for cops and when I see that the coast is clear, I take out my "Will work for cash or food" sign. Of course I didn't write it. Jessica helped me and even let me keep the change she got from spending on the black marker.

I get a few bucks from people that don't want any help, but that's it.

Night is closing in and I have to find a place to stay. I stuff my sign back into my backpack and start walking down the street. I hope the women's shelter has space tonight. The one on this side of town has good eggs and bacon in the morning.

As I walk, I hear footsteps behind me. I ignore them thinking maybe they will go away.

I walk down a few blocks and I continue to hear the footsteps as they get closer to me. I'm getting nervous. I know someone is following me. I can feel it. My heart is thumping in my chest. I turn my face slightly, hoping to catch a glance at the person behind me.

All I see is a pair of jeans, black shoes and a masculine figure. That's all it takes and I run.

"Hey, wait!" I hear the person shout, but hell if I'm waiting. He must be stupid.

_Is it one of them? Is it a cop? Is it a man looking for fun?_

I don't stay and find out. I run like hell.

I hide.

I hide in an alley. I'm shaking again. I'm really scared.

I cry a little and I hate it. Crying doesn't help anybody survive. I don't dare go to the women's shelter and instead sleep next to a dumpster. I can't risk being found by whoever that was.

I don't wanna die.

An old lady lets me wash her car for ten bucks and another old lady had me help her into her car for three.

I made good money, so I decide to eat the rest of the burger from the day before. It doesn't taste as good, but it sure as hell beats whatever I would've found in the trash.

The rest of the day I don't have much luck and even have to run from a cop who insisted that I should find a shelter.

I can make it on my own. I've been doing it all my life.

The shelters are all full. I was too late.

I need to find a place to sleep so I walk around. I find Jessica sitting on a bus bench.

"Hey Je-Je-Jess. Wha-what are you do-doing on this si-side of town?" I ask.

Jessica mashes her cigarette butt with her foot and shakes her head. "I was dumped on this side of town," she mutters and lights another cigarette. "I'm waiting on a bus to go back home. What are you doing here?"

I slowly sit next to her, making sure I don't touch her. I'm dirty.

"I tha-tha-think some pe-people are looking fo-for me."

"What the hell did you do, Kid?"

I shrug.

"Well, Kid, you know these streets aren't that big, especially for psychos. They'll get ya. Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

"No."

She sighs heavily. "Do you have change for a bus ride?"

I know I can spend a few cents so I nod.

"I guess you can stay on my couch tonight."

"Tha-thanks s-s-so much," I say excitedly.

Jessica just shrugs and continues to smoke.

I don't know if Jessica is my friend. She doesn't say much when she lets me tag along. When she does talk, it's to talk bad about men. She hates them.

I don't understand why she lets them touch her then.

She falls asleep on the bus and I have to wake her when we arrive at her street.

"I'm fucking tired, Kid. Let me know when you decide to leave. I'm calling it a night," she mumbles and heads to her room.

Jessica's couch is really comfortable compared to the floor. It's almost too comfortable and my back hurts. I guess I'm not used to comfort.

I stare at the stains on the ceiling of her apartment and listen to the cars passing by outside. This is what it would feel like to have a home.

I haven't had a roof over my head since I ran away from my foster home when I was 12. Jessica will sometimes let me stay on her couch, but most of those times, she kicks me out early or tells me she can't let me stay the whole night because of her "customers."

I stayed in jail once for sleeping on private property, but I don't think that counts as a roof over my head.

I was 16 then and they tried taking me to a teen home, but I know they put them in foster homes eventually and I wasn't gonna do that, so I ran away again.

I don't want anybody beating me up anymore.

When I was 14, I had the crazy idea of finding my real parents, so I walked, took rides and a bus to Portland.

It was stupid. I didn't get anywhere because I don't know much about them.

All I know about them is that they had me in Portland, they gave me away the day after and that's it. I know some couple adopted me when I was 3, but then I was taken away from them by the state when I was 5. Something about my adoptive mother being a drug addict.

I don't know.

I was in foster homes since I was 5 and stayed there because I was never adopted. I got moved around a lot. I never had good foster parents. Most of them ignored me, acted as if I was a burden and made me clean. When I was 12, my foster father beat me up one night because I didn't wash the dishes.

I decided I wasn't gonna be pushed around anymore. I wasn't going to be a bother or burden to anybody any longer.

So I've been alone in the streets since then. I've gotten beaten up a few times by gangs and threatened by men who wanted sex. But I can run away out here. I'm a good runner.

I can't sleep. The couch is too soft. I'm not used to it.

I turn one of the lamps on and I take out the picture I always carry around inside my jacket. I stare it and I caress the image with my dirty finger tips.

It's a picture of my mom. My real mom. It's the day she had me. She is sitting on a hospital bed, with my small body in her arms and she starting down at me. I can only see half of her face and her brown hair. She's pale, just like me.

I found the picture inside Dolly a few years ago. Dolly got old and ripped in the middle of her belly. The picture came out while I was inspecting her damage.

Since then, I've carried it around like a prized position, always making sure it's safe in my pocket. Sometimes, when it's too rainy to go beg for money, I just sit under a bridge stare at it and try to imagine her. I try to imagine her full face and voice. I wonder if she'd be a strict mother. She'd probably be sweet.

Why didn't she want me? I would've loved her. I wouldn't have been like those kids I see in the streets doing drugs or beating up other kids. I would have gone to school and be good. I wouldn't make her mad.

But she didn't give me the chance. She didn't let me be a good daughter and gave me away. Yet, I'm not mad at her.

I hope she knows that wherever she is.

Before I know it, I doze off in a sitting position with my mother's picture in my hands. I dream of her that night. She makes me dinner and kisses me on the forehead. She talks about cooking and how much Dad loves steaks. She also tucks me into bed like a little girl.

I wake up with an ache in my neck, a growling stomach and on Jessica's dirty couch and not in my mom's house. I feel disappointed that the dream ended and most of all, that it wasn't real.

I sit on Jessica's couch for a long time, waiting for her to wake up. I know she wakes up late, but I don't wanna mess with her stuff. If she sees me walking around her place, she'll probably think I'm stealing something and I don't wanna lose her kindness and trust.

I'm really hungry. I hope she lets me have one of the apples she has on her kitchen table.

She finally wakes up at noon. She says she has to leave because she has another job. She lets me have two apples and a bottle of water.

I can't stop thanking her. I haven't had an apple in a long time. I wrap one of them in a napkin and stuff it in my backpack and practically swallow the other.

I'm still hungry, but I don't tell her and again thank her for letting me stay on her couch and for the apples.

It's cold today. It's really cold.

I don't know where to go when I start walking away from Jessica's house. I wonder if one of the shelters will let me stay around to warm up.

As I think of which shelter to go, I ignore that someone is in front of me and walk right into him.

"So-sorry," I screech. I'm in shock and I don't want the stranger to hurt me, so I look down at my feet and start to walk away.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I've been looking for you all over the damn city," he says and I'm about to run when he holds me by the elbow. "No, you don't run this time."

I'm about to scream, when he covers my mouth with his hand and pulls me into an alley. I'm squirming and fighting to get out of his hold, but he's stronger.

"Shh, calm down. I'm not hurt you. I just want to talk to you," he whispers, calming me a little. His voice, his sweet, angelic voice couldn't possibly be one of a dangerous man. But you can never be too sure in this world. "I'm gonna let you go, but you have to promise me you won't run away or scream."

I nod. He gently backs me up against a wall and I raise my eyes to his face.

His bright green eyes staring right into mine.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise," he says softy and removes his hand from my mouth.

I don't make a sound and study his face, looking for any sign of danger. He's beautiful. He's the most beautiful man I've ever seen. He face is sweet and inviting. He doesn't look dangerous at all. His jaw is well defined, his hair a shiny reddish brown, but his face is covered in small bruises.

He raises his hand and I flinch. I shut my eyes and cover my face with my arms.

I can hear him sigh. "What did I say?"

"Are yo-you re-really not gonna hur-hurt me?" I ask. I can hear my voice tremble and my body shake. He doesn't hit me so I remove my arms from my face and wait for his answer.

He places a hand on my cheek, making me take in a deep breath. "I could never hurt the girl that saved my life," he says.

Oh! He's the boy from that night. The one getting beat up by that gang.

He's the boy with the fire in his eyes.

"I've been looking all over this city for you and I finally found you." His voice is soothing and warm. I want to listen to it forever.

It makes me feel safe.

"Wha-wha-why?" I can barely hear my whisper.

"Because…I wanna pay you back for what you did for me."

"You don-don-don't even know me."

"Yes, but you don't know me either and yet, you saved my life. I don't like having debts with people. Besides, you deserve to be rewarded."

He smells good. He smells like cleanness and I must smell awful.

He lets me go and crosses his arms across his chest.

"So, are you going to let me repay you for what you did for me?" He raises an eyebrow and taps his foot.

"How are yo-you gonna do-do-do that?" I say, leaning into the wall. Though he seems safe, I can't help my natural instinct to protect myself by running away.

"I'm gonna get you off these streets."

_What?_

I gawk at him as if he's lost his mind. I'm a stranger to him. I could be a crazy person.

Which I'm not sure if I'm not. I talk to myself for crying out loud!

"I just-co-couldn't le-let them hurt you. I do-don't need you to heh-help me. I don't ev-ev-even know your name."

He sighs and seems annoyed with me. He shoves his hand towards me, making me jump.

"I'm Edward Cullen. Your name?"

I reluctantly take his hand.

We're both pale. His hand is big and strong. Mine is small, weak and very dirty.

"I'm Kid."

"Kid? Like the bandit?"

"Who?"

"Um never mind, so Kid, we now know each other's names."

"Yes."

"Well this is a start. Now, let's get you out of here," he says dryly.

What do I have to lose? If he's a psycho killer, well I needed to die one day. Maybe this my time. Maybe my wish is coming true and I'm really getting off these streets.

The next thing I know is that I'm getting into his fancy car while he holds the door for me.

_What am I getting myself into?_

* * *

**Let me know what ya think. **


	3. Size ExSmall

**WOW! So one day, I pull up my Hotmail to check out if I have any reviews and BAM! I have over 100 alerts from FF. A whole lotta love for the ladies (maybe gents too) at AngstHoors and Underfictionated over at The FB and whoever nominated me over the Lemonade Stand for pimping my once lonely story.**

**And of course love to all of you that reviewed and saved my story. It really motivated me to keep going. Now, it might've taken me a while to update and for that I apologize.**

**Forgive my unbetaness (not a word) I'm working on that! So ignore my silly mistakes…**

**Here's Kid, who I love and wanna hug so bad.**

* * *

**Chapter 3- Size Ex-Small**

The seats in Edward's car are slippery and smell nice.

I mention that I don't wanna get his car dirty, but he seems not to care and assures me that leather can be cleaned.

I've only been in a car a handful of times, but I've never been in the front seat or in one that is so nice like his. I look around, all the buttons and lights are overwhelming so I sit as close to the door as possible. I leave a hand over the seat belt button so that in case I need to make a run for it I won't be trapped.

But Edward can sense my mood as he starts up his car.

"Kid, I'm not dangerous or crazy. Look at me," he says and I do as he says. His face is inviting and he seems harmless, regardless of the small, fading bruises. In a way I'm glad that's all the gang managed to give him and I'm glad they didn't kill him. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Now, I know that coming from your world, a man saying that may not mean much, but I swear all I want to do is help you."

I don't answer.

He sighs. He knows I don't believe him all the way.

"As a sign of my honesty, take this," he says and hands me a small, strange looking thing. "You press this button here, just like this and…"

I jump as the sharp blade appears.

"It's a pocket knife. You can keep it to defend yourself." He pushes the blade back into its hiding place and closes my hand around the plastic handle.

"You're go-gonna let me ke-keep it?"

"Yes."'

"Why?" He's a strange man. He's giving a complete stranger a weapon? He trusts me with it? He doesn't even know me.

"Because I want to show you that you can trust me and now you have something to defend yourself with and can feel safe," he says and returns his attention to his steering wheel.

It starts to move and I hold onto the seat for dear life.

He doesn't say anything else the entire ride. We sit in silence and for some reason I want him to keep talking to me. I find that I like the sound of his voice.

As he drives, I study him as if trying to find something to fear. A rich man trying to help me? Why? There has to be something bad about all of this.

Besides the bruises, he has a small scar on the side of his forehead and one under his chin. His reddish hair is a mess, his lips are a pretty pink color and pouty and his jaw is well defined. For some reason my heart speeds up and I can't tear my eyes away.

I scan the rest of him; the hair on his arms, his long fingers around the steering wheel, and the way the long sleeves of his blue shirt wrap tightly around his arms, it all has me entertained until he turns and looks at me.

"We're here."

I don't know what "here" means, but I nod. He walks around the car and opens the door on my side. I assume he wants me to get out. I try to get out but suddenly fall back into the seat.

"You may need to unbuckle yourself first," he says with a smirk.

I nod again and press the button that releases the belt from around me.

Once I manage to exit the car, my eyes take in the scene of his neighborhood.

It's clean. It's very clean. Out of habit my mind starts conjuring plans.

_I could sleep under that tree. That dumpster probably has good scraps since it's next to a bakery._

"Not too bad, huh?" Edward asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I've se-seen be-better."

He chuckles and places his hand under my elbow making me jump again.

"Sorry, I need to remember the no touching rule. Come on." He starts to walk and I follow.

I take my steps very cautiously and try not to walk too close to him. I don't want to get in his way. Once we enter the building, the cool breeze of the air conditioner hits my face and the smell of cleanness assaults my nose again. I'm not used to it, but it smells wonderful. It's better than any dump I've slept in.

I stop and look around. The walls and decorations look like the pictures from the magazines I sleep on. It's all very pretty and bright. I know my mouth is hanging open, but I don't care. It's like a dream. I almost wanna pinch myself.

"Come on, Kid. People are staring at you and though I don't care what they think, I don't want them to question your presence and give us hell," he says.

It's then I notice the few people around are looking at me as if I'm strange. Instinct kicks in and I look down at my feet, feeling the heat in my cheeks.

I notice my dirty shoes look completely out of place on top of the shiny, clean tile floor, but I don't take my eyes off from them the whole time I follow Edward.

We get into an elevator and he presses the number 7. When the small room starts to move, I quickly grab onto the walls and take deep breaths.

"Never been in an elevator?"

I just shake my head and he smiles. "Nothing is going to happen. You'll be fine."

"Fine? It's mo-moving and it fe-feels we-weird."

He chuckles.

When it finally stops, the elevator opens and he starts to walk away. I follow him close this time as we pass a lot of doors with numbers on them. I'm in a strange environment and I can feel myself trusting Edward more and more. I don't know if this good or bad, but right now I don't bother questioning it and stick to his side.

_If the big monster jumps out of one of these fancy rooms, he'll save me. Right?_

We finally stop at room number 707. He pulls out a key and opens it. He turns and looks at me as if expecting me to move.

"Go on."

"In there?" I ask, pointing into the room.

"Yes. This is my home. This is where you'll be staying with me."

I nod and take small steps into the apartment room. The white carpet is soft under my feet and again I feel very dirty. I'm filthy. My sneakers are black when they use to be white and my clothes are falling apart. I hold onto the straps of my backpack as if they could save me from the unknown and humiliation.

There is a large black leather couch in the room we are currently standing in and a big TV in front of it. The room is clean and all the other electronics look very expensive. Edward closes the door and stands next to me.

"Wh-wha-what do you want fro-from me?" I ask.

He sighs. "I already told you. I don't want anything from you."

"Bu-but this does-doesn't make sense. Wha-why are you le-letting me st-stay here? It's too much."

"It's not enough. You saved my life, Kid. Giving you a place to stay that isn't infested with rats and give you something to eat three times a day, everyday is the least I could do."

He's wrong. He doesn't seem to understand. He's changing my entire life. He's the one saving me. A place to stay warm and dry and food to eat with no perks? He doesn't seem to understand that for someone like me, this is the best damn thing that could ever happen.

"Wha-what if you're ly-lying?"

"What if I'm not?"

"What if you are?"

"Then you can stab me."

"I would ne-never do that."

He laughs and shoves his hands in his pockets. "Good to know. Now let's get you a shower."

/

Edward's bathroom is huge. It's bigger than Jessica's kitchen. I'm currently standing in the middle of it, waiting for him to bring me some of his clothes. He made me put my backpack in the laundry room, after I refused to throw it away. I threatened to take his eyes out with the pocket knife if he did. He chuckled of course and swore he would just wash it and wash Dolly and give them back to me.

After a few minutes, Edward returns and knocks on the door. I tell him I'm not naked and he comes in with clothes, towels, a plastic bag and a bottle of lotion.

"I found the smallest shirt and shorts I could find," he says and places everything next to the sink. "For underwear, bra and more clothes, we'll go shopping. Here is some lotion, your skin looks a little dry and this will help it. Its not fruity like most girl lotions, but…"

"I wo-wo-wouldn't know."

"Oh…um yeah. Here is a plastic bag to put your clothes in so I can wash them as I promised. Do you need help getting the water warm?"

"No."

"Okay, I'll be in the kitchen. Meet me there when you're done and I'll give you some lunch," he says and starts to head out.

"Eh-Edward?"

"Yeah?" He turns and looks at me again.

I take a deep breath and smile at him. The feeling on my cheeks as I stretch them is strange. They are not very used to me being smiley about anything.

"Th-thanks," I say to him.

He just nods, smiles and leaves. I know he doesn't think he's doing much, but I know different.

The water feels amazing on my skin and head. I shudder at how my muscles relax with the warmth. The water pooling around my feet is dark and dirty. I cringe at the thought of how disgusting I really am. I grab shampoo and smile at the thought that I don't have to use hand soap anymore.

I might've used too much shampoo as it feels as it takes forever to rinse all of it out.

I scrub all over my body so hard that my skin turns red, but I haven't been clean in years and I can't lose this opportunity.

When I'm done, I dry up and I put on Edward's t-shirt. It was the smallest thing he could find, yet it's huge on me. It has letters and the number 7 on it. I'm not too sure what it says, but it has the picture of a ball on it. The shorts fall off my waist right away, so I have to tie a knot with the waistband so they won't.

I notice there is a hair brush next to the foggy mirror. I hope he doesn't mind that I use it. I walk over to it and when I reach for it, I notice my reflection in the mirror. With my hand, I remove the fog and water and take a good look at myself.

I look even thinner in my clean skin. I don't know how I'm so pale if I spend so much time outside. I look much older now. I'm 17 years old…I think. The last time I looked at myself clean, I was 12. Since then, I've had smudges on my face and looked like a complete mess.

My lips are chapped and my skin is dry. After wincing from the pain of running a brush through my tangled hair, I rub some lotion over my face, arms and legs.

It stings. I know it's not supposed to and it's probably because my skin is dry and scrapped. I cover my mouth to keep from squalling loudly.

I head out of the restroom and feel disoriented. I forgot where the kitchen is, but suddenly the scent of tomatoes, bread and other incredible scents fill my nose and like a mutt follow it.

I finally find Edward, standing in front of a stove. I stand at the entrance not knowing if I can take the liberty of sitting. He turns around and when he's about to go back to the cooking looks over to me one more time, his eyes roaming my body. I suddenly feel wrong and look down at my feet.

"I'm sorry," he says. I can hear the honesty in his voice. He clears his throat and continues. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You just…look very different all cleaned up. Come and sit down. The spaghetti is almost ready."

I take a seat and place my hands in my lap and stare as he prepares me a plate. I'm salivating. I haven't had spaghetti in years. I hope he lets me have a lot. Afterward, I'll wash the dishes if he wants.

"I hope you like pasta. I don't know how to cook much, but this is one thing I know how to do," he says, placing the plate in front of me.

"I'm sure it's ve-very go-good. Be-better than tra-trash," I say. His face empties of emotion and I don't know if what I said offends him, but then he looks almost guilty.

"Do you like Coke?"

I smile and nod enthusiastically. "I lo-love it."

I dig in with my fork, not bothering to blow and shove the hot noodles into my mouth. The heat automatically burns my tongue and I cough some of the noodles out.

"Hey, calm down. I'm not gonna take it away. Take it easy," he says.

I just nod and blow on my next bite.

For the next few minutes, I don't even pay attention to the fact that he is sitting in front of me just staring. After the initial burning of my tongue, the spaghetti tastes better and better. I shove noodles into my mouth and slurp on my Coke. It's probably the best meal I've ever had.

As I finish, I start wiping the sauce off the plate with my fingers and lick them. I hear him chuckle and I finally remember that he's in front of me.

"Would you like some more, Kid?" He asks and I shyly nod. He takes my empty plate and walks over to the pot. "You know, I've never had anybody like my cooking so much. I don't know if to thank you or tell you that there is better cooking out there."

"I do-don't care. I've ha-ha-had trash most nights. Your foo-food is the be-best."

He places the plate full of spaghetti in front of me and returns to his seat. I don't wait and dig in.

"So, Kid, now that you have a little food in your belly, you have to answer some questions for me."

I look up at him. He places his hands under his chin and waits for me to answer. I nod to let him know he can.

"How long have you been homeless?"

I swallow my food. "About fi-five years."

He tries to hide the cringe on his face, but he fails. "Why? Where are your parents?"

"I don-don't know."

"Did you piss them off? Were they bad with you? Did you run away from them?"

"I ra-ran away from mah-my foster parents."

"Foster?"

"Yes. I do-don't know where my re-real parents are. I don-don't even know who they ar-are."

He nods and looks down at the table. "How old are you?"

"17."

"Jesus," he mutters.

"How ol-old are you?"

He takes a deep breath. "I'm 22."

I just smile and continue eating. I don't understand why this last piece of information has made him seem nervous. He runs his hands through his hair and over his face.

"So you don't know any of your relatives?"

"No."

"Have you tried looking for them?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"I don't know how. I do-don't ha-have much info-information."

He shakes his head. He doesn't ask more questions and lets me have a third plate.

I'm stuffed and I hope he lets me take a nap on his couch, but then I see him putting on his coat.

"Whe-where are you go-going?" I ask. I'm worried he'll leave me by myself. I've been alone all my life and now I fear the thought of it.

"We are going to the mall, Kid. Have you ever been to the mall?"

I shake my head.

"We're gonna buy you some clothes and shoes."

"What fo-for? You already go-got me these," I say pointing at the t-shirt and shorts.

"Some that fit. Come on."

/

Edward lets me borrow his sandals. They are huge. They come off my feet several times as I walk behind him. I don't wanna lose him, so I find myself running barefoot with the sandals in my hand.

The mall is big and full of people. I stay behind Edward and hold onto his shirt so I don't lose him in the crowd. He's much taller than me, so I end up holding onto the helm of his shirt because it's what I can reach and I hope he doesn't mind. We stop at a store filled with all kinds of clothes. Edward starts grabbing whatever he sees. He looks over to me a few times and continues to grab shirts, shorts and pants.

"Come on, you have to try these on," he says.

Once again I find myself running after him. His longer legs get him places faster. He never waits for me and it's hard for me to keep up.

We reach a room full of women. He gives me all the clothes he picked out and gestures for me to follow the line.

"Wh-what am I supposed to do?"

"Try on the clothes and make sure they fit and that you like them."

"In th-there?" I ask, horrified at the idea of being in a crowded room.

"Yes, Kid."

"So I just pu-put th-them on? Without buh-buying them?"

"You're gonna make sure they fit before we spend money on them."

"Are yo-you gonna co-come with me?"

"Its ladies only," he says and turns me around to face the dressing room. "I'll be right out here if you need anything, okay?"

I just nod and walk forward. I glance at him one more time before entering, just to make sure he's still in the same spot waiting for me and to my joy, he is.

I'm not completely sure the clothes fit me right, but they don't fall off so I take that as a good sign. And as far as liking the clothes? Anything is better than the rags I've worn. All the t-shirts are clean and smell nice. I find myself smiling as I head back to Edward.

"They fit?" He asks.

"Yes."

"Jesus! You're a size extra small," he mutters. I don't know why this startles him. "Anyway, let's get you some shoes and some underwear."

Edward lets me pick out sneakers and I have never been so excited in my life. I can feel the excitement in my belly and I think I feel sick from all the spaghettis I ate. I pick a pair in blue and he nods with approval. "They're cool," he says. We walk to other stores with bags in our hands and my brand new sneakers around my feet. They feel nice and snug. I bet my feet wouldn't get cold now.

Again, I hold onto his t-shirt.

We get to a store full of underwear and pictures of half naked pretty girls, showing off their bras and panties.

They look like Jessica… being naked and all.

Edward calls over a young girl, who I guess works here, and explains to her that I need bras and panties.

"Get her whatever fits. All of it if you want, but make sure it fits her comfortable and its decent. None of this slutty shit," he says and the girl nods. He walks over to a couch and plops down. "Go with the nice girl, Kid. I'll be right here."

Suzy, that's the girl's name, takes a long ribbon looking thing and wraps it around my boobs and around my back.

"Are you wearing a bra now?"

I shake my head.

"You know, I see rich guys like him walk in here all the time with stupid, but gorgeous girls," Suzy says to me. "They buy them whatever they want just to get some hot ass. You're very skinny and no offense, but you have small boobs. I don't know what that perv wants with you, but you should get out before it's late."

/

My boobs feel weird. They've never been this held up and secured in my life. I keep pulling at the cups and straps, hoping to make it feel better, but there's no use.

It's very uncomfortable. I'm not smiling like those half naked girls in the posters.

On the ride back to Edward's apartment, I keep thinking about what that Suzy girl said. Could Edward really just want to help me? What if he wants something else?

I'm not even pretty.

"What's wrong, Kid?" Edward asks, interrupting our silent car ride. "You didn't like the mall? It's a hateful place, but I thought you would like it."

"Th-there was a lot of-of pe-people."

"And that's why it's hateful, but we got you clothes."

"Thank you," I whisper.

He just shakes his head and continues to look straight ahead. His face is empty of any emotion.

"Thank you s-s-so much," I mouth to passenger window.

/

Edward makes us sandwiches for dinner. He says he doesn't know how to make anything else at the moment, but I shrug, not really caring, and swallow two sandwiches.

He makes me put on socks and a sweater since its cold outside even though we are inside his apartment, but I don't know what the big deal is. I've slept outside for almost 5 years now.

He lets me sit next to him on his big couch while he watches the news. At first I stare in awe as the colors and brightness of his brand new TV make the entire living room glow.

He doesn't say anything. He just stares at the TV screen with a sullen look on his face. I sorta want him to talk to me and ask me more questions. I want listen to his voice and I wanna talk. I've never had someone stay with me for so long since I ran away from my foster home.

But Edward doesn't say a single word and I sorta wanna ask him why he's so quiet and why he looks sad, but I hold myself back. I want him to like me so I can stay with him, so I don't try to irate him.

He falls asleep on the couch with the TV remote in his hand and the screen lighting his face. Again, I find the couch too comfortable, so I just sit there and stare at the people on the television. He left it on mute, so I can't hear anything.

After a few minutes, I get bored and remember about Dolly. I get off from the couch and walk around Edward's apartment to find the laundry room where she is.

As I walk around, I notice Edward hardly has any decorations on his walls unlike Jessica who has pictures and posters all over her house.

Several of his rooms are just plain empty: no beds, no chairs, no nothing.

I find the laundry room and find Dolly face down on top of my now clean, but still ugly clothes.

"Hey Do-Dolly," I whisper and hug her to my chest. "I've missed yo-you. Do you li-like our new ho-home?" I caress her cheeks and smell her washed blonde hair. It's clean and wonderful. "I thi-think Ed-Edward is lonely. I think that's why he's go-gonna let us st-stay. I'm lone-ly too. We do-don't have to be lo-lonely no more, Do-Dolly. We're go-gonna be okay. We finally ha-have fam-family."

I lay down on the floor, next to the dryer. The carpet is fluffy enough and I find it comfortable. I hug Dolly tightly to my chest and fall asleep.

I dream about Edward.

He's nice to me. He buys me things in my dreams and gives me food, but then he looks sad.

So sad.

I snap open my eyes and grab at the pain on my back. I sit up and realize that I am now lying in a bed in a dark room. It's still dark outside.

I rub my eyes and leave Dolly behind on the bed and leave the dark room. I look around for Edward, but I can't find him.

"Eh-Edward?" I call out, but I get no answer.

I call his name a few times and walk into the living room where I last saw him. The TV is now off and his jacket is gone.

Edward left.

* * *

**UGH! Where did he go? Is he getting his face beat again?**

**A lot of you have mentioned Kid's stutter. It'll lessen throughout the story, but won't completely go away just like in real life. **

**Follow me on twittah (at)Hola_Es_Ella**

**Let me know what ya think! Do you also wanna hug Kid? **

**Kisses! **


	4. Two of Us

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait once again. My house is getting a makeover, my laptop is broken and my computer was disconnected for a while.**

**Sigh.**

**But here we are.**

**Un-betad again. I've found someone to help me out, but I know some of you are going to participate in the boycott…so before you do, here is Edward's POV, grammatical errors and all. Be easy on me...**

* * *

Ch 4- Two of Us

EPOV

I pretend.

I pretend that I can walk without difficulty and that the room isn't spinning.

I pretend I can take another shot and I do. The evil liquid burns as it slides down my throat.

"Dude!" Mike shouts. I pretend it doesn't annoy me that he does. "There is some chick, I think her name is Samantha, anyway she's inviting us to her place! She has a roommate."

I nod. I try to look like I'm interested. I pretend that I'm excited about it and that the loud music doesn't make me nauseas.

Pretend. That's what I do best. Isn't that what everybody's good at in this world? It takes a real man to be an expert.

"So what do you say?" Mike is persistent.

"Yeah, sure," I mumble and stand up, ready to follow him when a dickhead bumps into me.

It's an accident. He didn't mean to. He apologizes.

Of course, I ignore the part of my brain that tells me this and shove him.

"The fuck is your problem, shithead?" I shout.

He stumbles back into a group of guys. He quickly bounces back to his feet. He's a big fucker.

I should have really listened to that part of my brain.

The last things I remember are screams and Mike trying to pull me off the bar's floor, where I've found myself a lot these days.

When I open my eyes again, I have a headache from hell and the right side of my face feels like its inside out.

"You alright, dude?" Mike asks. He is driving me home. He's probably pissed at me for ruining his plans with those girls from the bar.

"Uh-huh."

"Do you need me for to take you to a hospital?"

"Hell no, it's just a bruise."

"Dude, why can't you ever act normal anymore? I don't think I have seen your face without a bruise in weeks."

"Mike, just shut up."

~NLG~

Mike helps me up the few stairs to my apartment building and then I tell him to go away.

He can be a good friend at times, but I dislike almost everything about him. I've lost so much lately that I cling to whatever I have left, including Mike, the drunken douchebag who hits on any woman that is alive.

When I make it to my apartment's door, I remember her.

I remember Kid.

I hope she's still asleep. Poor girl needs it.

I found her asleep in the laundry room on the floor with her ragdoll before I left for the bar. I stared at her sleeping form for a few minutes, trying to conclude what to do with her.

At times, she acts like a child and at times she acts like an adult. I don't understand her much. Maybe, because I haven't asked a lot of questions I feel so lost with her. But I thought that living in the streets for so long would take away any trace of innocence and goodness in a human being.

But Kid has this warmth and purity in her eyes that takes my breath away and makes me want to protect her. I can't stand the idea of letting her go back to where she came from.

When I had set out to find her, my intentions were to make sure she was okay, give her some money, thank her for saving me and leave. I obsessed over the idea of meeting her again. The look in her eyes before she ran away the night she saved me stayed engraved in my brain. Every time I would close my eyes to sleep, there she would be, staring right back at me.

When I finally found her and found this warmth and purity in her big brown eyes, I couldn't imagine leaving her behind.

So I took her with me.

I have no fucking idea what I'm doing.

All I know is that she is now in my apartment.

I enter my apartment and as I close the door behind me, I hear crying coming from my room.

Where I left her before I took off to get shitfaced drunk with Mike.

Still inebriated, I stumble with my own feet as I rush to my room. I snatch the door open to find Kid sitting on the floor in a corner. She is hugging her knees up to her chest and her face shoved into her ragdoll as she cries.

I slowly make my way to her and sit next to her. She doesn't move.

"Kid?" I whisper. Though it's only a whisper, she jumps at the sound of my voice and scoots away from me, further into the corner.

"What's wrong, Kid?" Regardless of what she tells me I know I'm going to have a hard time helping her. Like I said, I have no fucking clue what I'm doing.

She pulls her face away from her doll. Her face is red and wet. She sniffs and hiccups.

"What's wrong? I ask again.

"It's yo-your fa-fault!" she screams.

"What is?"

"Th-this!" She reaches into the pocket of her shorts and hands me what looks like a picture.

It is.

It's a woman with a baby in her arms, but it's faded and wrinkled. I can hardly make out the rest of the image.

"What's this?"

"It's my real mmm…mom! This pic-picture is all I have of he-heh-her and you wash-washed it!" She cries, her large tear drops drenching her shirt.

I can feel how shitty I am in my chest and through the alcohol in my brain. I don't say anything and just sit there, hearing her cry with so much agony it really breaks my heart.

_I didn't mean to._

After a few minutes of hating myself, I stand up and with the little strength I have in me, I gently pick Kid up from the floor. I'm surprised she lets me. I think she's too busy crying and mourning the loss of her picture to care.

I place her in my bed and I lie next to her. She holds onto to her ragdoll with so much strength, it's almost as she is hoping the damn thing could help her and make her photo better.

I scoot closer to her face and can smell the scent of my shampoo on her. There is hair sticking to her face, so I move it off and try to wipe away what I've caused.

"I want to make it better, Kid. What can I do?"

"You ca-can't!"

"But I want to."

"She's gone forever now."

I think she may be talking about something else now.

"Do you remember her face?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I nev-never met her. She ga-ga-gave me away the se-second day I ex-existed."

"Aren't you angry with her?"

"No. Maybe a lil-little. When I wa-was yo-younger, I did. Bu-but that ne-never made me f-feel better."

"I know what you mean," I whisper.

"You do? How?

"I've spent a long time hating someone, because of something bad that happened, but it never makes me feel better."

My words have her attention. She stops crying.

"Who? Who d-d-do you ha-hate?"

I clear my throat and run my fingers over her arm. "My dad."

"Why?"

"I blame him for something bad that happened. It's a long story."

"Can I he-hear it?"

"Some day. Not tonight, Kid."

"Okay."

She finally looks at me in the face and her eyes widened. "What ha-happened to yo-your fa-face?"

I had forgotten about it until now. "I fell."

"You're a b-bah-bad liar," she sniffs.

I smile. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry about your picture, Kid."

"Me too."

"If you could meet your mom one day, what would you say or ask her?"

Kid wipes her face with the back of her hand and takes a deep breath.

"I would ask he-her if I lo-look like her or mah-my dad."

I can't help but chuckle and she does to.

"Do you ta-talk to yo-your dad?" she asks.

"I haven't for a whole two years."

"Yo-you should. You're lu-lucky yo-you have one."

I just nod.

"If yo-you saw him ag-again. What would you ask him?"

I smile at her question and close my eyes, ready to go sleep.

"I would ask him, if I turned out to be just like him."

~NLG~

I spend the morning ignoring text messages from my sister, Alice, and making it up to Kid. She's still upset about the photo and I would be too, but I'm trying my best.

We spend a few minutes flattening out her ruined, wrinkled photo by putting it in a book and squeezing it tight. Every time I check on it she anxiously looks at it and then disappointedly sighs.

It's not going to get better. Kid cries in the restroom.

I think she knows it.

I keep apologizing and promising to make her feel better.

Today she's acting more like a kid. She doesn't let go of her doll and keeps talking to it. I know she's not crazy or mentally disabled because she talks to me just fine. Her thought process is normal, but I still stare in wonder as she brushes her doll's hair and has full conversations with her.

I don't question her on it and let her be.

I make her breakfast and let her have as much of it as she wants. I didn't know someone could appreciate pancakes so much. She eats more than me.

After she showers, I offer to watch some TV on the couch. She just nods and sits next to me. I'm glad she's becoming more trustful. She still keeps her distance from me on the couch and I know she carries the pocket knife I gave her in her pocket, but we're making progress.

As I flip the channels, I leave it on Cartoon Network. Some dumb cartoon is coming on, but there is nothing else to watch.

After a few minutes I turn and look at Kid. Her eyes are glued to the screen and her mouth is slightly opened. She giggles and gasps and then giggles again.

She's adorable.

Why wouldn't anybody want her around is a complete mystery to me.

For the rest of the hour, I stare at Kid giggle as she watches TV.

Unlike everyone else in the world, I'll keep her around. Hopefully she doesn't hate me too.

~NLG~

Kid nervously bites her bottom lip as I clip her long and dirty nails. She wiggles in her chair and widens her eyes.

"Kid, you have to stay still."

"It hu-hur-hurts!"

"No, it does not."

"Ye-yeah!"

"Fine, but we're almost done, so suck it up."

After we are done, she examines her nails.

"Haven't you ever had your nails clipped?"

"Yeah, but I-I ha-hate it."

I roll my eyes.

"Kid?"

She looks at me right in the eyes.

"Do you wanna stay here?" I ask and she nods enthusiastically.

"You're re-really ni-nice," she assures me.

~NLG~

I spend the rest of the morning staring at my computer screen while Kid takes a nap. The pair of blue eyes staring back at me from the images I can't seem to delete or put away, stare right back at me. The images don't help the guilt that consumes me and the anger I feel for Carlisle Cullen, my father, the doctor.

_You should really call Mom. She's really worried. We haven't seen you in weeks. – Alice_

_Where are you anyway? - Alice_

_The fall semester is about to start again. Have you even signed up? - Alice_

_Katie would have wanted you to finish your degree and not waste your grandparent's inheritance money on being depressed. – Alice_

Damn Alice. She's never afraid to be direct. I miss the hell out of her, but I can't deal with her right now. I delete all of her messages and check my bank account's balance.

I'm still good.

_Good for what? What the hell am I going to do?_

~NLG~

"So a police detective huh?" I ask, Jasper over the phone.

"Yup. It's official. You're talking to a professional now," he says.

Jasper has been my best friend since we were kids. He lives in Portland now and hardly has time for anything with his busy schedule.

"How about you, Ed? Are you going back to school?"

I ignore his questions. "Hey, I have to go, but congratulations on the big gig."

"Dude…" he sighs. I can tell he's tired of my aversions. "Fine, but you really should tell your mom and sister where you are. I hope you're doing alright."

"Alright? Yeah, that's what I'm doing."

~NLG~

We have lunch and I promise Kid to take her out tomorrow. She's never been to the movies or has had food in a restaurant instead at their garbage or fast food joints. She sits closer to me on the couch as we watch TV again. Of course we end up watching cartoons again, but I don't mind. Kid's giggles and gasps are worth the loud, annoying sounds coming from the TV.

For the first time in months I don't feel alone and the big ass void in my chest doesn't ache as much. Kid doesn't know anything from my past. She doesn't feel pity or anger. In some sort of weird way, she's still innocent and pure. The streets didn't take over her soul. I've decided to not give them a chance to do so. I'm not letting her go. It'll just be the two of us.

"Kid?" She doesn't look my way; her eyes are glued to the screen, but answers with an "uh-huh." I shake my head in amusement. "What's your real name? Kid can't possibly be it."

She finally looks at me and smiles. "My na-name is Is-Is-Isa-Isabella," she says and returns her eyes to the screen.

* * *

**There! There! She said her real name! Ha!**

**Let me know what you guys think of Edward. I know my chapters don't reveal a lot at a time, but that's the way I like it!**

**I promise to reply to more reviews. I'm terrible at that, but I'm trying! Next chapters should be in the hands of a beta first! **

**Hugs to all and hugs for poor Kid.**

**Follow me on the twittah (at)HelloElla90. I'm a newb at it, but give me some time. **


	5. Wild Things

**Hello everyone! Once again I apologize for the long wait. One day I won't have to! I've actually been working on the story outline (like I should have) so that I can finish chapters faster. I know how this story goes and ends, but its the details that needed to be outlined.**

**Anywho, a big thanks to Cejsmom Twifan for cleaning up my mess! Hugs!**

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Chap 5- Wild Things

BPOV

Isabella.

It sounds strange to me. I tell Edward not to call me that. It makes me feel funny when he does. I'm not Isabella.

I'm Kid.

It's late in the night. I've been watching TV all day. I worry Edward will get mad at me for not cleaning anything. Though I did wash the dishes earlier, I feel like I'm useless.

Edward is in another room. He said he needed to "workout." He said I could stay in the living room and watch cartoons.

I love cartoons. They are so colorful and happy. I remember watching them a few times in my foster homes. I can watch them all day if Edward lets me and after I clean stuff of course so he won't get mad at me.

I watch until my eyes start closing on their own. I start dreaming about Edward and then random moments from when I was living on the streets. I don't miss it at all, but the images of brick walls, dumpsters, drunken bums and the filthy smells that once were part of my daily life still haunt me.

I hope I never have to back there. I'm never gonna make Edward mad like I did with my foster parents. I'm not too sure what I did to make them that way, but with Edward I'll make sure never to make him mad so he can let me stay.

I hated sleeping in my wet clothes and in smelly alleys. I hated sleeping with one eye open and being scared of everything. Sometimes my muscles would ache from the cold and tension and my skin painfully itched. I felt filthy all the way into my bones. I don't wanna ever feel that way again.

I jump when I feel hands on my body, chasing my sleep away.

It's Edward.

"Sorry," he whispers. He looks tired and a little sad, but I'm starting to get used to that. "I was trying to carry you to bed, but ended up waking you up. Come on, let's go to bed."

"Be-bed? In yo-yo-your room?" I ask.

"Yeah, like last night. I'll get you a bed soon; it's just that the guest room is really dirty."

I just nod. He didn't hurt or touch me last night whenI slept on the bed with him, though my back ached in the morning. It's still not used to comfort.

I follow Edward into his room. He says he'll sleep on the couch if I want. I tell him that it's his bed and he should sleep on it too.

He just nods, takes off his shoes, gets under the covers,and is asleep before I know it. I crawl next to him and lie on my side, facing his back. I stare at how his back moves as he inhales and exhales and listen to the sounds of his breaths. The room is dead silent.

No noises of cars passing by, bums fighting, dogs barking or anything that would usually keep me awake. I smile in the dark room thinking about how I survived. I didn't get beaten to death or killed by a drunken man. I didn't make any prostitute mad at me and I didn't take any drugs.

I don't have to go back there anymore.

I just have to avoid making Edward mad.

Though the room is silent and the bed is probably comfortable to normal people, I can't stand it. My back and neck hurt. I don't know how I fell asleep last night. I must have been really upset about my mom's picture.

I try not to move too much so I don't wake Edward, but I can't get comfortable. I stare at his back again, hoping the rhythm of his inhales and exhales make me sleepy enough to ignore the pain in my neck and back.

The room becomes chilly. I really want to snuggle into Edward so I can get warm, but I don't wanna annoy him. He has the whole blanket wrapped around him.

I sigh.

I sit up, grab my pillow and crawl onto the floor. I lie down and feel more comfortable. My body is used to the hard floor. I don't know how to make it remember that beds are better.

I'm still cold, so I hug my legs up to my chest like I used to do when I slept on the streets. I start dozing off, finally, when I feel Edward move.

I can hear and feel him leave the bed. I don't know where he's going until I sense his presence behind me. Suddenly, a blanket is gently covering me and a warm body lies next to me. The sudden heat next to my cold skin sends chills all over me.

Edward sighs and I wait a few minutes before I turn to face him.

He has his back to me and is fast asleep again.

I smile.

Slowly, I move my face next his back, snuggle a little against it and close my eyes, enjoying his smell and warmth.

I don't think I do this because I'm cold.

~NLG~

Edward tells me he has to pay bills on his computer and make a few phone calls, but it won't take long and then he'll take me out.

I'm excited. I'm wearing my brand new blue sneakers that I keep looking at to admire on my feet and new clothes. I brush my hair. It's very long, but it's clean and shiny and that's nice.

Edward says it's taking longer than he expected and that I can watch cartoons or do whatever I want.

I'm mad. I can't figure out the remote control. I don't wanna ask Edward, because he's on his phone. So I give up on the idea of watching cartoons and decide to walk around his big apartment.

I find a big bookshelf and decide to snoop around. I can't read, so I hope I can find one with pictures. He has a lot of books with no pictures, but they have interesting covers so I stare at them and pretend I know what they are about.

I finally find a really thin book full of pictures and a little bit of words!

There is a small boy in a white costume and who looks like a wolf. He's a small boy. He finds a bunch of ugly monsters, but he looks to be having fun with them.

Strange.

He leaves them behind at the end. I wonder why. He seemed to be having fun. Why did he have to leave them? He shouldn't have left them if he liked them.

Confused, I turn the pages all the way to the beginning again. This time, I take more time on each picture, trying to figure the story out.

I'm about to get to the last two pages when Edward calls my name. I get up and run to him.

"Ed-Ed-Edward!" I say, excited out of my mind. "Edward, can you re-re-read me this book? I wa-wanna know what's go-going on with the boy with the wo-wo-wolf costume. Can you re-read it to me? Puh-please?"

He gives me a strange look. He takes the book from my hands. "Why don't you just read it yourself, Kid?"

I nervously look down at my feet. My brand new blue sneakers are pretty and clean.

"Kid?"

I don't answer and continue staring down at my feet.

"Kid, can you read?" I hear the shock in his voice.

_Duh. I'm supposed to know how to read. I'm old now. I'm not supposed to be some dumb kid or a retard._

I'm embarrassed.

"But how, Kid? You're seventeen."

I sigh and without looking at his face, I answer him. I tell him about how when I was around four or five, I was taken away from my adopted parents because my mom was caught doing crack and they put me in a foster home.

It wasn't any better. My foster family was negligent and didn't send me to school. I only went a few times, but I can't remember. I was finally moved to another foster home when I was eight. My foster dad would make me beg on the streets for him.

"People don't feel bad for me. I'm old and ugly. People feel bad for cute and poor kids. Make me some good money, Kid and I'll give you something to eat…maybe," he would tell me.

I went to school a few times, but found it hard to learn anything since I was so behind.

When I was ten, I was moved to another home. Since I was older and didn't know how to read or write, they told me I needed a "special school."

With my bad luck, I didn't get the school I needed. I was in a class full of dumb kids who didn't even know how to wipe their own butts or mouths.

It takes me a while to tell Edward all of this because of my stutter, but he never loses his patience and listens intently. He asks me questions and makes reassuring comments.

"I'm sorry, Kid," he says and looks down at the book he's holding.

"About wha-what?"

"Everything. You're an amazing person. You deserve a better life than what destiny has decided to give you. You should have two parents that love you. You should have brothers and sisters to bug you and silly memories of getting in trouble and having fun and not this. Not memories of a lifetime of shit."

He sighs and places the book on the couch.

"I'll read you the book when we get back. Maybe I'll even teach you how to read."

"Really?" I whisper. My eyes tear up, I don't know why, but they do.

"Yeah. But first let's have lunch and go see a movie," he says.

But I can't wait until we get back home.

~NLG~

It's weird to be eating at a restaurant where people don't stare at me and the workers aren't mean and treat me nice.

"The gi-girl is really sw-sweet. She ev-even ga-gave me more soda," I whisper to him excitedly.

Edward smiles at me. "Yeah, she better be nice if she wants a tip."

I don't know what he means, so I just continue sipping on my soda.

The movie theater is crowded. Edward doesn't seem to mind when I hold onto his jacket.

I shouldn't be scared of crowds. I lived on the streets. But at least on the street there weren't so many people crowded in a single area.

I don't remember being to the movies before, so I get really excited with the big screen.

I don't think I breathed at all during the movie. It was really exciting. I asked Edward a question about what was going on in the movie, but he quickly shushed me so I decided not ask him anything else.

I don't wanna make him mad.

~NLG~

I can't shut up about the movie as we drivehome. Edward just chuckles and nods at my comments. I tell him how much I loved it and he promises to bring me again. He tells me he hasn't been to the movies himself in two years.

I ask him why.

He says he just wasn't in the mood.

"Was it the sa-sa-same reason you do-don't talk to your d-d-dad?"

Edward nods.

"What ha-happened?"

Edward doesn't answer and instead continues driving. My question seems to have upset him. The sadness that had been lost during the day returns to his green eyes.

I thought we were going back home until he parks at a cemetery. "Let me show you something," he says and gets out.

I follow him through the cemetery until he stops in front of a big tombstone with flowers all over it.

"Oh, Mom," he whispers to himself.

"Edward?"

"Hmm."

"Wha-what are we do-doing?"

Edward takes a deep breath. "This is Katie. She died two years ago. She was my…my…good friend."

"What ha-happened to her?" I ask.

"She got really sick a few months before she died, but she never told me. She knew she was going to die and she decided not to tell me so that I wouldn't be sad. My dad knew about it too. He's a doctor. He's the doctor that told her she was going to die. He didn't tell me either." Edward gets really quiet. He swallows the lump in his throat and wipes the tears away that fall from his eyes.

"Is that wha-why you're m-ma-mad at him?"

He nods. "He should have told me. He should have told me she only had a few months left to live. I would have spent those last months more at home and not so busy at school and work, away from her. I would have made those last months for Katie the best months of her life. But I didn't know until I started noticing how bad she started to look. When I realized what was going on, she died the following week."

Edward sits on top of the grass and I do the same.

"I'm sor-sorry, Edward."

He wipes the last few tears away and smiles at me. He takes my hand in his and squeezes it.

We sit there for a long time in silence.

I feel bad for him. His friend died. I don't have family or good friends, but I imagine losing someone close must be hard. I wonder if I would be sad if I found out Jessica, my sorta friend, died.

I probably would.

Poor Edward.

"Kid?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's go home."

~NLG~

When we get home, Edward says he's too tired to read me the book or teach me how to read. I don't mind. He needs to rest.

So I spend the rest of the day watching cartoons and looking through the book over and over again until its dark outside. I'm hungry again, but I keep waiting for Edward to wake up.

When he finally does, he says he needs to go shopping for groceries, but he doesn't even look at me. He tells me to stay on the couch and not touch anything while he's gone.

After he leaves, I do what he says.

Until I get really hungry.

I decide to look around the kitchen for something to eat. I find some bread slices and remember how he toasted them and put butter on them.

That was delicious, so I decide that's what I want.

I find the toaster and shove the bread slices into it and push down on the big button.

That's how he did it last time.

While I wait for the toaster to finish, I take out the butter. I stare at the toaster eagerly waiting for the toast to jump out like it did last time. The yummy smell of it makes my belly growl.

It's taking forever.

I notice some dishes are in the sink. I don't want Edward to think I'm a slob, so I start washing them.

I get distracted with the dishes that I ignore the smoke.

While I dry the last plate a sudden "beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep" makes me jump. The beeping continues and it's when I realize the smoke and awful smell coming from the toaster.

I panic.

I start to shake and it's suddenly really hard to breathe.

I pull the plug from the toaster hoping to make everything stop, but the noise continues and suddenly I'm being showered with water coming down from the ceiling.

Edward is going to hate me!

I swore I wouldn't move from the couch and now what have I done? He's going to be furious.

I promised myself I wouldn't make him mad.

He's not gonna want me around anymore! He's gonna kick me out! I don't wanna go back. I don't want him to kick me out.

Suddenly I hear loud knocking on the door. Someone is yelling.

I'm scared.

I fall onto the floor and cover my head.

What am I gonna do?

Where am I gonna go?

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**Let me know what you think! **


	6. Good Person

**Hello my peepz! Here is chapter 6. I did good this week. I didn't take so long to update. Good for me. **

******Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I really didn't think this story was going to get much attention due to the subject matter, but you guys are showing me I was wrong and for that I thank you! **

**Let's see if Edward gets mad. A lot of you wanted it that way. Weirdos...ha jk.**

**Thanks to Cejsmom for being great and taking time to correct my silly mistakes! **

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Chapter 6- Good Person

_He's not gonna want me around anymore! He's gonna kick me out! I don't wanna go back. I don't want him to kick me out._

_Suddenly I hear loud knocking on the door. Someone is yelling._

_I'm scared._

_I fall onto the floor and cover my head._

_What am I gonna do?_

_Where am I gonna go? _

The water stops, but I don't dare move or open my eyes. I crawl into the corner I'm in as much as possible.

I'm soaked and cold, but more than anything, I'm scared.

I hear the door open and I just know Edward is going to yell at me. He's going to yell at me and kick me out.

"Hello?" An unfamiliar female voice asks.

I scramble to my feet, slipping in the process, but manage to stand. It's when I finally take a look around that I realize it's gonna be worse than I fear. Everything is wet and probably ruined. I can feel the tears start again.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

I stay in the corner, hoping the stranger leaves, but she doesn't.

"Oh dear," she says.

She's an old, short lady with a soft face. It's welcoming and harmless.

"Honey, are you okay?" She asks. I don't answer and instead just shake my head. "What's burning?"

"It's nah-not my fa-fault!" She jumps back with my outburst. "I wa-was hun-hungry. I'm s-so-sorry. Can you t-t-tell Edward not to get mad? Puh-please?" I cry.

She looks at me with pity in her eyes. "Shh, dear. It's okay," she assures me and places her wrinkled hands on my face. She smiles warmly at me and nods. "Nobody is going to get mad."

She looks around the kitchen and sighs.

"Is it bad? Is ev-everthing broken?" I gasp for air and desperately want her to answer me and tell me that everything can be fixed.

"It's just the kitchen that went off, sweetie. A good mop and rags will do the trick. I don't know if any of the electronics will work, but I doubt Mr. Cullen will get that upset over things he can replace. The important thing is that you're okay and to get you out of those wet clothes. Do you live here? Do you have something to change into?"

I nod and show her where. She tells me to get dressed and that she'll start the cleaning. When I return to the kitchen, there are a few ladies here with mops and rags.

_I'm so stupid._

"Sweetie, what's your name?" The old lady asks.

"Kid."

"Kid?"

I nod.

"Well, Kid, I'm Mrs. Cope. I'm the head of the cleaning staff here. These ladies are going to soak up all the water. Do you know when Edward will return?"

I shake my head and take her hands in mine. "P-puh-please! You have to he-hel-help me. Edward is go-gonna get mad!" I cry. I don't know how she can help me, but I don't know what else to do. I'm desperate. I'll do whatever it takes to stay.

"Dear, he'll be in all his right to be upset, but that's all. He'll get over it soon. You're acting like he will hit ya." She pauses and looks over my face and body. "Wait…does he hit you?" I can see that she's physically getting upset over the idea of him hitting me.

I immediately shake my head. "No!"

"Then why are you scared, sweetie?"

I don't have time to answer because we're interrupted with my name being shouted.

"Kid? Kid?" Edward shouts as he rushes into the apartment. When he sees me, I can see the anger in his face. His eyes widened and his chest goes up and down with his deep breaths.

I hide behind Mrs. Cope and grab onto the back of her cardigan.

"Kid!" He shouts again. "What the hell is going on?" He walks over to us and I squeal in fear. "I'm asking you a question, Kid! And you should answer me!"

I start to cry and Mrs. Cope shushes me.

"Now, now, Mr. Cullen, let's calm down."

"With all due respect Mrs. Cope, I think you should stay out of this and let me talk to Kid," he shouts as Mrs. Cope straightness up a little in front of me. He's still much taller. "I walk into my apartment and see my kitchen flooded, I think I have a right to know what the fuck happened," he shouts some more and places the bag of groceries he had in his hands on top of the couch.

"I'm sorry Eh-Eh-Ed…"

"No, Kid! No apologies. Just tell me what happened."

"I got hun-hungry and…" I hiccup and look down at my feet. "I tri-tried the toaster."

"Fuck," he grumbles. He sighs and sits down on the couch. He roughly runs his hands through his hair. "I told you not to touch anything! How hard is that? Are you that stupid?"

His words are hurtful. I know he's mad and I don't have the right to fight back. Instead, I run to the book room and lock the door. I rush over to Dolly who is on the floor where I left her this morning. I sit down with her in my arms and hug her to my chest.

"I really screwed up, Do-D-Dolly," I cry into her hair and hug her as tight as I can. "Edward ha-hates me now. He's go-gonna ki-kick us out, I just know it. I d-don't wa-wanna. I don't wanna be lon-lonely again, Dolly."

I don't know how long I sit there, crying into Dolly's hair. My belly growls at me. I didn't eat anything, but I'm too embarrassed to go ask for food. I ruined the kitchen and probably the food in it. I cry because I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know if I should pack my stuff and leave.

I don't know where I would go.

A few more minutes of crying and I hear a knock at the door. I sniff and wipe my face with the back of my hands. He knocks again.

"Kid? Kid, can you open the door?" He asks. He doesn't sound mad anymore.

I don't say anything and bite my lip. I hug Dolly even tighter.

"Kid, I was mad. I'm sorry for what I said. Please forgive me. I didn't mean anything it. I'm just a fucking asshole."

I don't move and close my eyes. I hear the door open. Of course he has a key. It's his apartment. I don't dare look up. I feel him sit next to me.

He smells nice like always.

"Here," he whispers. I open my eyes and notice a plate of toast in his hands. He's offering it to me. "It's funny how everything but the toaster got wet," he says, chuckling. "Mrs. Cope says that the whole kitchen should have been sprayed in water and not just in that random spot. It seems like its defective. Thanks to you, they know that now," he says with a small smile on his lips.

I break down into tears again and bury my face into his neck and wrap my arms around him, ignoring the toast. It takes him a moment to react, but then he hugs me back. "I'm sorry, Eh-Edward! Don't ki-kick me out, puh-please!" I beg him, sobbing into his neck. "I'll be b-b-better. I'll d-do better. I wo-wo-won't make you m-mad."

He rubs my back and then pulls me into his lap as if I was a little child. He places my head under his chin and begins to rocks me back and forth. He shushes me and hums, the vibrations of his deep voice tickling my skin.

It works.

I feel warm and safe in his arms.

I stop crying and only hiccup and sniff. I don't wanna get my snot on him, so I clean my nose with the back of my hand.

I feel his warm lips against my forehead and I sigh. "Don't be silly, Kid. I'm not gonna kick you out," he whispers. "I said you could stay here forever and I meant it. We'll just have to be more careful. I shouldn't have left you alone. It's my fault."

I sit in his lap for a little while. His arms around me feel so nice. I kinda feel like I'm not gonna fall. Ever. If the whole world decided to come for me and fight, I would be safe. I would be safe in Edward's arms.

This is how it feels like to be hugged. It's wonderful.

I sigh into his neck, enjoying the warmth and his humming. He presses his lips to my forehead once again. I don't know why he does it, but I love it.

He pulls his head back and wipes the tears from my face with his hands. He smiles at me and sighs. "Do you think Dolly would like the toast instead? You don't seem to want it. We can't waste good bread like that."

I jump off his lap, grab the plate and take a big bite of the toast. I hear Edward chuckle behind me. I sit next to him and offer him the other slice of bread. He takes it and takes a bite of his own.

"I'm sorry, Kid. What I said was really mean."

I shrug.

"Next time, I want you to yell back at me. Shove me and kick me. Tell me I'm wrong, even if I'm not. That's how you survive in this world. You fight back."

He looks serious and determined for me to believe what he is saying.

"Okay."

"Say it. Say you'll fight back."

"I'll f-f-fight back."

"Good."

~NLG~

The next day, Edward shows me how to use the toaster. I make sure to listen close and ask questions.

He tells me when the new microwave he ordered arrives; he'll show me how to heat up food with that. He says he doesn't trust me with the stove yet.

I don't trust myself either.

When I ask him to read me the book, he tells me he doesn't have time, but he will soon. I just nod and tell him I'll wait.

Instead, I show Dolly the book. She seems to like it too. She's worried about the little boy too, but I tell her we have to be patient. We'll find out what's going soon.

Edward decides we should take a walk in the park. For a quick moment I fear he'll take me to the park and then leave me there, but the smile on his face and the sparkle in his eyes convince me I'm being paranoid.

I put on my blue sneakers, wipe away the few stains on them, say goodbye to Dolly and leave with Edward. He asks me a lot of questions while he drives. He asks about what I remember from my foster homes and parents.

I tell him a little bit. I tell him about how they weren't really nice to me and how some of the kids I lived with did drugs.

When I tell him about how my foster parents would make me beg for money and hit me, his jaw tightened and his eyes glared at the window.

I stopped talking.

When we get to the park, he gives me a strange look and clears his throat.

"Have you…umm uh I don't how to ask this. Have you stayed at this park?"

I giggle. "Are you as-ask-k-king if I have slept at this park?"

"Yeah," he mutters.

"I hav-haven't. Don't worry a-a-about it."

We walk in silence. There are children running around, playing and giggling. One little girl runs up to me and gives me a piece of candy. I ask her about her day and if she likes one of the cartoons that come on TV. I get excited when she says she has.

It's my favorite.

When the little girl's mom calls her over, I look back at Edward and find him smiling at me.

"What?" I ask.

"I'm just wondering," he answers and sits on the nearby bench.

I sit next to him. "About wha-what?"

"I just wonder howyou exist when we have so much bad shit in this world. It doesn't make any sense to me. You deserve another world. You should live in a world where adults don't abuse of kids and parents don't give away their own babies," he says and runs his fingers over my cheeks. "You deserve a world where more pure and strong souls like yours live."

I don't say anything back.

We sit on the bench together for a long time. We laugh at the kids running around causing trouble. I kinda wanna go play with them, but I'm not little anymore.

I tell Edward about how much I loved sleeping under slides. I tell him about Cara and Maria Caballero. The two girls I met when I was twelve. They were both a few years older than me. They lived in the foster home next to mine, but had lived in the streets before. I convinced them to let me runaway with them. They let me tag along for a while and showed me some tricks about begging for money and stealing food from restaurants, supermarkets and bakeries.

They also showed me all the good spots to sleep at. We were all small girls so we could fit anywhere. Sometimes we would play at the parks. We had so much fun. There was nobody yelling or threatening us.

When I turned fourteen, they were caught by the cops stealing food and taken away. They had left me behind at the park because I was asleep and didn't wanna wake up. I remember telling them to go anyway and letting them use my bag to put stuff in it.

I never saw them again or my bag that I had taken with me when we first ran away.

I forgot what was inside of it.

"Kid?" A voice calls out while Edward and I talk on the bench.

I turn around to find Jessica in dirty sweats and with dirty hair. She looks tired.

"Jessica!" I shout, jump up from the bench and hug her, not caring that she looks shocked to see me or that she looks dirty. She smells like cigarettes and whiskey.

"Kid," she mutters as I pull away. "Where the hell have you been? I thought you had been killed or something."

"I've b-b-been staying with E-Edward," I say excitedly and point at him.

He shyly waves at her.

"Who the hell is Edward?" She asks in a low whisper only I can hear. Her eyes examine me from head to toe. She raises her eyebrows and then looks back at Edward. "What the hell, Kid? Since when did you get smarter than me? How much is he paying you? Is he making you do kinky shit? Tell me!"

"Wha-what?" I ask confused.

I hear Edward grumble curse words.

"She wants to know if I'm making you have sex with me, Kid," he mutters. He stands next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I look up to his face and find his eyes glaring at Jessica. "Jessica? Is your name Jessica?"

"Yeah," she says flatly.

"Kid here is a friend of mine. I'm letting her stay with me for no favors in return. Now if you don't mind, we're going to head back home. Let's go, Kid." He starts to pull me away, but I stop him.

"Edward, ca-ca-can you give Je-Jess a ride home?" I ask. "She liv-li-lives far and I don't want her wal-walking too much."

Edward is about to protest, but after looking at me in the face he sighs and shakes his head. "Fine. Jessica, would you like a ride home?" He asks. I can tell he's hoping she says no.

I smile at Jessica, letting her know it's safe and okay.

She smiles back at me and lifts her head up, almost proudly. "Sure thing, Ed."

Edward doesn't say much as he drives Jessica home. He does keep looking at her through the rear view mirror. His eyes are ice cold each time he sees her.

I don't think he likes Jessica.

I ask Jessica a few questions, mostly about how she's doing and getting around. After a few minutes, Jessica falls asleep in the backseat.

"Why do you like her, Kid? She seems like trouble," Edward whispers and eyes her one more time.

"She's a-a-always been nice to me. She wo-would give me m-m-money or f-fo-food sometimes," I tell him and his face softness a bit.

"Hmm," is all he says.

When we finally get to her house, I wake Jessica up. She apologizes for falling asleep and says she worked late. We see that there is a man waiting at her door, smoking a cigarette. Jessica curses under her breath and says her goodbyes. She starts opening the door when Edward hands her some cash.

"What the fuck is this for?" She asks and looks at the money with suspicion.

"I said Kid was my friend. I appreciate anybody that has helped her in the past. Take it."

"Yeah, Jess. T-t-take it. For mo-more apples."

Jessica looks at me and smiles. She snatches the money from his hand and pats my shoulder. "See you later, Kid."

She finally gets out of the car and we drive off. Edward and I look back and see the strange man going into her house.

Edward just shakes his head.

~NLG~

"Why, Kid?" Edward asks.

We are currently trying to sleep out on his balcony chairs. The night is cool and nice. I suggested we slept outside since it felt great.

Edward then spent ten minutes apologizing for saying that I should be used to sleeping outside.

I don't see why he should apologize.

It's the truth.

He's silly sometimes.

"Why what?"

"Why are you…you?"

"Huh?"

"Well…you slept and lived on the damn streets for so long. You must have seen so much violence, drugs, prostitutes and sick bastards. You saw me getting my face punched and kicked in by a group of gangsters who I started a fight with, out of frustration. Your parents gave you away and the ones that were supposed to take care of you…used you." He takes a deep breath and dramatically raises his fists in the air. "Why aren't angry at the world? Why don't you hate everyone in it? They would deserve it. This wretched world doesn't deserve your kindness."

The stars are very bright today. They remind me of when I used to sleep on park benches surrounded by the smell of trees and the cool breeze of a Seattle summer night.

"It's not the wo-world's f-f-fault I have bad l-l-luck, I say. I place my arms under my head for comfort. "Besides, I know wh-what k-kind of person I am. It doesn't m-m-matter who everyone else is. I'm n-n-not a bad person. I'm a g-good person. N-nobody's g-g-gonna change that."

I close my eyes and listen to sounds of the night. The sounds of cars passing by, the wind blowing, and the grasshoppers making their strange sounds, are all so familiar to me, yet so different in my new life. I can finally appreciate the sounds whilein the safety of Edward's company. I smile to myself knowing that I'm gonna be okay.

Edward said I could stay with him forever.

That means I have a home now.

Dolly and I have a home.

I can finally close both my eyes.

I can close both eyes and rest.

I think I'm dozing off, but I take one more look at Edward. He's staring at me with a smile on his face.

"Goodnight, Kid."

"Uh-huh," I mumble and rest my head against his shoulder and with both eyes closed and the moonlight shinning down on me, I fall asleep.

~NLG~

Edward is in the shower. During breakfast he said we were going out.

I don't know where to, but I make sure to clean my blue sneakers again and put on new clothes.

He takes a long time in the shower. I get annoyed and decide to watch TV. He showed me how to turn it on and what numbers I need to press on the remote to get to the cartoons.

I'm just getting into my favorite show when there is a knock at the door.

I don't know what to do since Edward is in the shower, so I just stare at the entry hallway and hope the person goes away.

But he or she continues to knock.

"Kid!" Edward shouts. "Get the door! I'm getting dressed. Just tell them to hang on."

I gulp and take deep breaths. I slowly make my way to the door and standing on my tippy toes to take a look through the peep hole. All I see is black, spiked hair.

I open the door and suddenly I'm being pushed back.

When my eyes finally set on the person, I come face to face with a girl smaller and shorter than me. Her hair is black as night, short and kinda crazy looking.

She's weird.

She glares at me and huffs.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in Edward's apartment? Are you one of his stupid girls?" She shouts and pokes me in the shoulder with her finger.

I've decided I don't like this small and weird girl.

_Fight back._

I remember Edward's words and the next thing I know is the girl is using the door to keep from falling and I think I'm the one who pushed her.

"Kid!" Edward shouts.

"Edward!" We both shout at him.

Who does she think she is?

* * *

**Who this beyatch be? **

**You already know -_-**

**A lot of you have asked me if there is going to be actual romance in this one day since you can't really picture it now due to Bella/Kid's childlike behaviour, but A LOT of things are going to happen... A LOT. **

**So stick around and find out...but i****t's Edward and Bella so... **

******Check out the GifthisficAnon contest. I submitted a story there. Can't tell you which one of course, but its completley the opposite of this in tone :)**

******Hugs to all and especially to Kid. **

******Let me know what you guys think and if you wanna give Kid another hug.**

**Follow me on the Twittah! at HelloElla90 and look for me on the FB Ella Hello (Hello Ella was not allowed as a name). I'm gonna start posting teasers and other stuff.**

**Chao**


	7. Crazy

**Hola todos…everyone. **

**Once again I'm blown away by the amount of reviews and love you guys leave me. It just makes me write more and more. I know a lot of fic authors say it (I read a lot of it myself) but it's the honest truth. Nothing makes a writer happier then someone saying "it's cool."**

**Thanks for CejsMom Twifan for editing my mess out. You're cool and stuff…**

**I'm kinda excited for you to read this chapter so carry on.**

* * *

Chapter 7- Crazy

EPOV

I rush to the door after hearing the loud "thump."

Did Kid fall? Did she break something again?

My mind races as my feet rush me to the direction of the noise. She's worse than an actual kid.

When I get there, I don't know whether to smile with pride for Kid or scream like a little girl since my annoying and pestering little sister, Alice, has found me.

She is currently holding herself up against my door, wide eyed and acting as if Kid will go after more.

Kid looks like she is about to with the death glare she is currently giving Alice. It might be well deserved, but I can't let things get out of hand.

"Kid!" I shout. Both girls jump at the sound of my voice. While Alice looks she's about to stab me with her eyes, Kid looks terrified.

I sigh.

I hate that she's afraid of me.

I have nobody to blame but myself.

"Kid, what's going on? Are you okay?" I ask, looking at her.

She is about to answer me when Alice pushes herself off the door and marches right up to me. She is a little thing, her head barely reaching my chest, but she's fucking scary.

"What the hell, Edward?" she questions and I can't help but roll my eyes. "You should be asking if I'm okay. You're little plaything here…" she points at Kid, "pushed me!"

"You probably deserved it, Sister."

"What?"

"I'm just saying. You're the one that marched into our apartment and probably started forcefully questioning Kid here as you tend to do with everyone else. You probably deserved a little push," I say and I see Kid smile. I'm glad she knows that I'm on her side.

Especially since its Alice we're talking about.

"How did you find me anyway?" I question. I've been hiding from her and my mother for months. I haven't seen them and I had planned to keep it that way. I had grown tired of their pity party. Every time I would look at them, their sad eyes reminded me even more of Kate's absence. Being away from them helped cope a little. They didn't understand that they caused more pain.

"Really? It's not that hard since my fiancée is now a detective in training."

"Jasper, that fucker," I mutter. "I've never liked the fact that you're dating him. He's too old for you."

"Really? He's 24."

"You're 20."

"Oh, get over yourself! Don't change the subject!"

Alice turns to Kid and takes a few steps closer to her. Her eyes roaming Kid up and down. I can see Kid become tense. She nervously picks at her hands and looks down at her feet.

I'm going to show her to stand up to people. She can't survive in the real world looking down at her feet.

"Kid? What kind of name is Kid? Is this some kinky shit you're into?" Alice says directly to her.

"Alley!" I warn her.

"No! I wanna know. Does my brother spend his money on you? Do you like that he buys you stuff?" Alice accusatory tone is confusing Kid. She shoots me a glance asking who the hell is this bat shit crazy lady.

I smirk at her, straighten my back and whip my head in Alice's direction.

Kid gets the hint, shakes her head, and stands up straight. "I like th-th-that he bought m-m-me mah-my sneakers," Kid says and I can't help but smile at her innocence. "Wh-wh-why do you care?"

Alice doesn't answer. Her glare has vanished. She is now looking at Kid, but this time I can see the questions in her eyes.

"Alice," I whisper. "Come with me." I pull her by her arm into the other room.

"What the hell, Edward? Who is that?"

I sigh and run my hands through my hair. There is no getting out of this. I have to be honest.

"Her name is Kid."

"Yeah, I got that, but what is she doing here and why does she sound like she's 8?"

"Be nice, Allie."

"I am!"

Alice Cullen has always been a nosy little monster. But she's a good person. She is always trying to fix what's broken, even though the issue doesn't concern her. She's been trying to fix me since Kate's death.

That's why I left.

"Look, you gotta promise me that after what I tell you, you won't go running your mouth?"

"Whatever, I promise!"

I don't believe her.

I don't say anything.

"Edward, spit it out!"

Persistent little monster.

"She's a homeless girl. She has nowhere to stay, so I offered her to stay with me."

Alice's mouth is wide open. She doesn't say a word.

That's dangerous.

"Look, I know this looks weird, but hear me out." She nods. "One night I was fucked up. I was drunk and pissed off and I started a fight with some douchebag. Well it just happened that this fucker had a gang and they started to kick my ass. Kid, who was probably sleeping close by, distracted them away from me," I say.

Still nothing.

"Don't you get it, Al? Kid saved my life! She's a 17 year old girl with no home. I couldn't let her stay in the streets after she saved my life."

"She's a good kid then?"

"Yeah. She's the best person I've ever met."

"So why is she on the streets?"

"Bad luck."

"And she's not sleeping with you?"

"Well…not like sexually. We do sleep in the same bed." I sigh. "Why am I even going into detail with you."

"What the hell is wrong with you, Edward? She's 17!"

"It's not like that! I just don't have another bed for her and I don't feel right leaving her alone. I've done that twice and it didn't turn out well."

"Is she mentally challenged?"

"No. She just stutters and she's a little naive. But none of that is her fault. She tries really hard. I do think she's got some issues, but not a disability. I just wanna help her, Al."

Alice starts to shake her head.

This isn't good.

"I can't believe you have a homeless girl living with you!" Alice shouts. She looks towards Kid, takes a deep breath and before I know it, she walks towards Kid and grabs her by the arm and is pulling her to the door. "We should take you to someone that can actually help you. I know of some shelters."

Kid starts to gasp for air and visibly shake. Her eyes fill with terror. Tears pool in her eyes and small whimpers escape her lips.

I feel rage. Rage I didn't know I had.

I realize it now. No matter what happens, Kid and I have a bond. We have a strong bond and right not Alice is threatening to break it. It pulls at my heart and fills me with rage with every tug my sister gives Kid's arm. I can't let her do it.

I can't let her take Isabella away from me.

"Let her go, Alice!" I shout. My voice makes the pictures on the wall tremble.

Alice stops struggling with Kid and lets her go.

Kid runs to me, shoves her face into my chest and wraps her arms around me. "Puh-please, E-E-Edward. Don't let the crazy lady t-t-take me! I wanna st-stay with you," she cries.

"Shh, shh, Kid. It's alright. Crazy Alice isn't going to take you. Remember what I said about you staying here?"

"Ye-yeah."

"What did I say?"

"Th-th-that I can stay forever."

"Exactly," I whisper.

"Okay. Ca-can you t-t-tell her to leave?"

I chuckle. "I sure can, but it's gonna be tough. She's my sister, Kid."

"What?" she screeches.

"I know, it's horrible."

~NLG~

I order delivery and invite Alice to have lunch with us. I cancel my plans in the outside world. Kid seems a little disappointed and I can tell she's blaming Alice.

It seems Kid and I have a lot in common when it comes to my sister.

Alice is staring at Kid as if she's some kind of freak. It's honestly pissing me off, so I tell her to knock it off. I hope Kid doesn't notice the weird glances she was getting.

When lunch arrives, Kid sits next to me on the kitchen table, leaving Alice by herself at the end. I smile at myself at how close Kid is. I think she trusts me. She glares at Alice a few times and checks to see if I'm noticing. She blushes when she realizes that I am.

I smirk and let her know that it's okay.

"How's Mom?" I ask Alice.

"She's fine. She busies herself with her patients," Alice says, as she moves her veggies around the plate with her fork. "But when she's not with them, she asks and talks about you."

"She'll be fine."

"How can you say that? You're her son!" She shouts making Kid scoot closer into me. I wrap an arm around her small frame and give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Its okay, Kid. I'm here," I whisper to her. She smiles and returns her attention to her food. "You don't have to shout, Alley."

"It's just that I'm tired of seeing her look gloomy. You've disappeared and she worries about you."

"Just give me some time."

"There is no time, Edward. You never know what's going to happen. Like you didn't know that Kate was dying."

"Please don't bring her up."

"I'm just saying. You're wasting time. What if Mom dies in a car accident tomorrow? What if you die? You never asked Kate, because you kept waiting for the right time and at the end, you never got to ask her. Don't make the same mistake again."

I push my food away. I've lost my appetite.

"Ka-Ka-Kate? Your fr-friend, Edward?" Kid asks with a mouth full of mashed potatoes.

I just nod and take Kid's hand in mine.

"Is the food good?"

"Uh-huh."

"You know, Alice here, used to hate mashed potatoes. She hated them so much, but didn't wanna tell our mom, so she would feed the potatoes to our dog, Mango, but he hated them too."

Kid giggles.

For the first time since she arrived, Alice smiles.

~NLG~

"So you've never met your parents?" I hear Alice ask.

"No."

"Wow! That's crazy. I can't imagine how you feel, Kid." Alice is currently sitting behind Kid on my bed, braiding her hair while I stalk from the partially closed door.

Kid has betrayed me. Once Alice offered to make her "pretty hair" look "prettier" she became team Alice, even though she was rude earlier.

But I get over it pretty quick. I smile realizing Kid has a girly side too and I guess Alice can help her with that.

"D-d-do you t-talk to your dad?" Kid asks.

"Yes. I imagine Edward told you he doesn't. It happens. Parents and kids get mad at each other."

"I wish I knew," Kid sighs.

"What's your real name?"

"Is-Isabella."

"Oh! That's a gorgeous name! You should make people call you…Bella! That's super cute."

"B-B-Bella?"

"Yes, it means beautiful in Italian and in Spanish."

"I like Kid better."

~NLG~

"She's so good at heart," Alice says as I walk her to her car. "It's amazing that she's kept her good and positive thoughts after all the bad that's happened to her. I think since she's hidden herself pretty well in the streets and hid herself mentally in her foster homes, she's sheltered, strangely enough. Also, the trauma of being constantly in fear might have caused some of her childlike behavior. The feeling of being safe might make her act what we deem as 'normal.' But once she feels those fears, anxiety, sadness or pressure she goes to another place in her mind."

"Alright, Ms. Shrink."

"No, I'm being serious. I think she needs to talk to someone, Edward. It isn't normal for a 17 year old girl to talk to a doll."

"You noticed that, huh?"

"Yes. She needs help."

"No. Nobody will mess with her. I know how shrinks work. They think they know everything. They'll take away her good beliefs and feelings."

"Maybe she can talk to Mom. You know she's a great psychiatrist. Most of her patients are teens."

"I don't know, Alley."

"You don't know because it will require you to talk to Mom."

"If Kid needs help, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Think about it, Edward."

"I will."

We reach her car. She buckles in and gets set to leave.

"Thanks for waiting to tell Mom," I tell her. She agreed not to tell our mother where I was. But of course being that it's Alice, she's given me a deadline.

"One week."

"I know," I grumble.

~NLG~

"Oh, this is cute!" Alice squeals in the middle of Target.

I mutter profanities. I've heard the words "cute" and "amazing" way too much.

Kid looks a little puzzled, but she's nice, unlike me, and just nods and agrees with my pestering sister.

I can't be too annoyed with Alice. She showed up in the morning and offered to take Kid shopping for girly shit that I had no clue Kid needed.

To be fair, neither did Kid.

Kid only agreed with the condition, that I came along and stayed by her side. We only came for lotions, shampoo and some other crap Alice claimed all girls need, but unfortunately Target also has a clothing section. When Alice made her try on some clothes, Kid begged me to stand at the entrance of the dressing room where she could see my feet.

Alice fills the little red cart with clothes and fruity smelling stuff.

We are now walking through the shampoo aisle. Alice is talking non-stop about something. I'm making Kid giggle by mimicking her.

Suddenly Alice stops talking. She is staring at tampons. "Kid?" she asks. "Umm, don't be embarrassed in front of Edward, but…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you get a period?"

"L-l-like the blood?"

"Yes, the blood."

Kid doesn't answer and just shakes her head.

She doesn't.

Alice simply answers with an "oh" and moves on.

Kid gets entertained by some book that was stuffed in the candy section, probably by some parent that was too lazy to return it where their child found it, while we wait for the cashier to check us out.

"Edward," Alice whispers, making sure Kid isn't hearing her. "I really think you should also take Kid to a doctor to get a check-up."

"But I don't have any of her personal documents. She doesn't even know where they are."

"But I'm worried! She's never gotten a period. That can be serious. What if she's sick or something else is wrong with her?"

I sigh.

"It's harder than you thought, huh?" Alice questions.

I nod.

~NLG~

Alice shows Kid how to use all the creams she bought her. She also shows her how to match clothes and file her nails, which I think is pointless, but Alice insists.

I think she just enjoys playing dress up with Kid.

We have dinner, take out again.

Kid is the first one to invite Alice to stay. It annoys me how much Alice enjoys winning Kid over.

She's mine.

Kid sits next to me again, so I feel a little better.

"So I'm starting my internship on Monday," Alice says excitedly.

"Really? Where?"

"Swan and Dwyer!"

"Wow, Al. They are like the most successful computer company in this side of the country."

"Correction, they are the most successful and wealthiest computer business."

I roll my eyes at her. "Whatever. I'm happy for you. So you finally decided on business like your brother?"

Alice has been going back and forth between medicine and business since high school. She would be good at either, but she hadn't decided.

"I'm still thinking about it. My heart sometimes beats for medicine like our parents, but I couldn't let this opportunity pass.. They are doing special hiring classes. It's intended to give college students a preview of their degree in business and an opportunity to have a nice addition to their resumes. They are hiring for another training class that will start next month. You should check it out and apply, Edward."

"I'll think about it. It just seems a little too nice of them to do that for college students that have yet to graduate."

"I think it's in order to distract the media and the community," she says.

Kid has wandered off into the living room to watch cartoons. I crane my neck to check on her. I spot her brown curls-courtesy of Alice- and her small frame on the couch and sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, Al. You were saying something about them trying to distract the media. Why would they want to do that?"

"Well have you not seen the news lately?"

"Kid only likes to watch cartoons."

"Well a relative of the Swans leaked some juicy gossip to the media and its creating some drama."

"What was leaked?"

"A story was leaked. Apparently the Swans are in search of a long lost daughter they had when they were teenagers."

"What?"

"Yes!" Alice says excitedly about the gossip she knows. "They are denying the whole thing, but what's being said is that Mr. and Mrs. Swan met in middle school and it seems she got pregnant in her sophomore year in high school. Well nobody knew about it because her father sent her off to Europe to hide her, then brought her back to the US to give birth and then little baby Marie, that's what they named her, disappeared. I think she disappeared on purpose, because she was too embarrassing for the billionaires to carry around."

I finally blink. Those billionaire assholes. How could they do that to a baby? Their own daughter.

"So why are they now looking for her?" I'm sort of pissed off at these hypocrites. Its people like them that there are children on the streets and bad foster homes.

Like Kid.

"Well after high school Renee and Charles got back together and got married during college. This is four years after the baby Marie incident. I guess they regretted whatever they did with Marie and hired detectives to find her. It looks like they've been secretly looking for her since then up until now, but it looks like she fell of the face of the earth since they haven't been able to find her. If some billionaire couple can't find their kid for the past 14 years, then there is no hope. I think she's dead."

"That's what I'm thinking."

"Edward?" I turn to see Kid walking towards me.

"Yeah?"

"Can you co-come fix the TV? Its we-w-weird lookin," She says.

"Sure. Anything for you, Kid."

She gives me a shy smile and it's when I realize the truth.

She doesn't have anybody in this world, but me. No parents or siblings. The world was unfair to Kid and I have to insure that I make it up to her.

I will do anything for her.

* * *

**Sooo thoughts?**

**Another hug for Kid/Bella? I always wanna hug her. It's my maternal existent that comes out so if you wanna join go ahead. Poor booboo hasn't had a lot of real hugs.**

**Was Alice that bad?**

**Follow me on the Twittah! at HelloElla90 and look for me on the FB as Ella Hello (Hello Ella was not allowed as a name). I'm gonna start posting teasers and other stuff.**

**Chao**


	8. You'll Think of Me

**Apologies for the late update. As some of you know, I plan on updating once a week. RL or should I say work got in the way. Being the boss is annoying and time consuming sometimes! **

**Anywho, here is chapter 8. Since I wanted to update soon, I didn't get it through my beta so excuse my mess! Ignore it and I'll love you forever! **

**The cute/sappy moments in this chapter are dedicated to First Aid Kit, who I randomly clicked on YouTube. They helped me write faster and kick my writer's block in the ass. They sing soooo purrrty**

**See ya at the bottom! **

* * *

Chapter 8- You'll think of me

BPOV

I pull at the elastic band of my shorts as I sit on the couch with Edward. It's been digging into my skin all day. I think all this food is making my clothes a little tighter than what I'm used to.

Living with Edward has made me realize what I've been missing from a normal life. I have three meals a day, sometimes four when Edward buys snacks, a TV to watch cartoons, a comfy bed that I'm just getting used to and the company of a normal, warm person and not some drunken bum that smells like piss.

Edward has started being more talkative. He talks a lot about his family and about when he was a little boy. I don't think he realizes, but he also talks a lot about his dad, Carlisle.

He also talks about the bad stuff he's done out of bitterness. He wants to be better. He says he wants to be a good person.

He wants to be a good person. Just like me he says.

We stop watching TV and I listen to him talk. The sound of his voice makes me happy. It's musical and soothing. It's warm and comforting.

It reminds me that I'm not alone.

He looks less sad now. I don't know if it's because he's finally talking or because his sister, Alice, showed up.

At first, I was sorta scared of her. She has strange hair, can be a bully at times, even though she's so little, and talks way too much. But now I can't wait until I see her again. She's fun. She makes me talk so much and about a lot of different subjects that sometimes I hear myself and I'm not stuttering as bad.

She says I might just need to practice more and not think about it so much.

I don't know what it is. All I know is that I'm glad Alice comes to visit. I like her. I wonder if this is how it feels to have a sister.

I wonder if I have one. A real one.

Edward decided to make lunch and left me in the living room.

"Kid?" Edward asks.

I turn off the TV and walk into the kitchen where he is at. The new microwave has arrived. He promised to show me how to use it once it was plugged in and ready to go.

"This is a Hot Pocket," he says, pointing to a frozen block he holds in his hands. "It's delicious and only takes two minutes to heat up in the microwave." He shows me how to make it and explains over and over again how I only have to press the "2" button to heat up anything else. If I want to heat up leftovers, I press the "2" and if it's still cold, stick it in the microwave for another 2 minutes.

The Hot Pocket is good, but I burn my tongue at first. He says the trick is to cut it in half to let out some of the heat. I tell him that in my foster homes I would eat ramen noodles, cereal and bologna sandwiches all the time. In the streets I would eat of out of the garbage and some restaurants would give me the bad leftovers from the day before instead of fresh food.

He looks like kinda pissed off so I stop telling him.

I manage to make him a Hot Pocket and heat up some macaroni and cheese without any problems. Edward looks a little proud with his smirk. I wanna roll my eyes at him since it wasn't that hard, but I let him have his victory. He pokes at my sides making me giggle. I swat his hands away and playfully push him away. I look up to his face to find his eyes sparkling and lips turned up into a glorious smile. Suddenly I need to let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and my heart feels like its dancing.

I love it when he smiles.

Especially at me.

~NLG~

The day is coming to an end. Edward and I are sitting on top of the building's roof, staring at the night sky. Its cold, but I love how the cool wind surrounds me with Edward's scent. I scoot closer to him and carefully lay my head on his shoulder, hoping he doesn't mind. He doesn't push me or pull away, so I smile and relax into his body.

"S-some nights, wh-when I was homeless, I wo-would lie on the ground of some r-r-random alley, tr-trying to sleep. I would st-stare at the stars and wo-wonder what mah-my mom was doing," I say in a low voice. "I would wo-w-wonder if she thought of me or if my d-d-dad ever wondered where I am. Did they th-th-think about m-me too wh-while lo-looking at the sa-same s-s-stars?"

Edward sighs and wraps me in his arms, moving my face into his chest. He's warm and smells like laundry detergent. I snuggle closer as I feel his warm, soft lips on my forehead.

"I don't know if your mom thinks of you, Kid," he whispers. "I don't know if your dad ever wonders where you are. But from now on, when you look up at the sky, know that I'm looking at it too and that I'm thinking of you. Of that you can be sure of."

I didn't expect the overwhelming weight on my chest. I don't know why my eyes start to water or why I let out a sob into his chest, but Edward holds me tighter and kisses my forehead, not needing an explanation. He hums to me a song I don't know, but its sweet and just for me as I cry into his sweater.

"Just promise you'll think of me too, Kid."

"I promise."

~NLG~

"Kid?" I hear him whisper. "I'm gonna go pay the rent and utilities down stairs and buy some breakfast. It's still early so stay in bed. It won't take me long."

I don't even open my eyes.

"Uh-huh."

I feel him leave and go back to my dreams, but I notice the chills going through me and the ache in my back.

I'm sleepy so I ignore it.

Some time passes and I wake up.

The ache that had started in my back is now all over my body. My throat hurts, my brain seems like it wants to jump out of my skull, and I'm burning up.

I throw the covers off my body hoping it helps with the heat, but when I do, my body hurts more.

I moan in pain into the pillow and try to hold myself as if that's going to help. I slowly get up and make it to the kitchen. I drink some water hoping it'll help my throat, but it doesn't.

I'm really tired, so I head back into bed. With the minutes passing, it seems I get warmer and warmer. My eyes feel like they have been set on fire.

"It hurts," I moan into the emptiness of the room.

I lie in bed and hope it goes away.

But of course it doesn't.

I hope Edward gets home soon. He'll know what to do. I try to think of what I did when I was homeless and sick. What did I do to get better?

I would just lie in an alley, wrapped in my dirty blanket, on top of some boxes and hope I didn't die.

I try to placing a cool towel on my forehead, but that just makes me really cold after a little while. I'm confused. I wrap myself in the blanket and fall back to sleep.

~NLG~

"Kid?" I hear his voice, but I don't dare open my eyes. It hurts too much. "Kid, you're burning up. Have you had anything to drink or taken any meds?" Now that he has a bit of my attention, I can hear the worry in his voice. I smile in the inside. I think he cares.

"N-n-no," I mumble. The effort hurts my throat.

"Damn, Kid." I feel him get up from the bed and with a weak hand, I grab onto his arm.

"Don't leave m-m-me, Eh-Edward," I cry.

"I'm not gonna leave you, silly. I'm just gonna bring you some medication."

I let him go and close my eyes again. I don't how long he takes, but the next thing I know, is that he is waking me up to take some pills.

I gulp them down with some water. He places a cool rag over my forehead and tells me to rest and that he'll make me some chicken soup.

"Chicken soup…yes I'm making her that…What? No…Yes." I can hear him in the other room. "It's my fault…again. Yes…I gave her some medication for colds…What do you mean she has the flu? Fever? Okay…so what do I do? Uh huh…What else?" There is silence before he starts talking again. "Okay. Are you sure this is going to work, Al? Okay…no. You…nope…you don't have to come. I'll take care of her…okay, bye. Love you too."

He comes back into the room. He looks tired and worried.

"How are you feeling?" He asks.

I still feel like I'm on fire. I tell him this and he rushes into the bathroom. "You're gonna take a shower, Kid. It's to help with the fever."

I groan and pull the bed covers over me.

"Kid, you have to. I'll make you soup while you shower."

"I d-don't w-wanna."

"It doesn't matter."

After arguing with me for a few minutes, he finally gets me to shower. I hold back the tears because I don't wanna feel like a stubborn little kid and I don't want Edward to think I'm not strong enough. But the shower hurts and my body aches the whole time.

After drying myself with a towel and getting dressed, I put one of his big sweaters on and rush back into bed.

I feel a little better. I'm still feeling warm, but it's not as bad. Edward comes back into the room and helps me as I eat my soup.

Afterwards, he places another cool rag over my forehead, turns on the TV to cartoons and pulls me into his chest.

We lie in bed. I'm not really paying attention to the cartoons. His heart beats in my ear soothe me into a half asleep and relaxed state.

"How are you feeling, Kid?" He asks.

"M-m-much better. You cook a g-g-good soup," I say and he chuckles. The sound vibrates in my ear.

"Thanks, Kid, but it came from a can. If you don't feel better by tomorrow, I'll take you to a real doctor."

"I d-don't need one. I g-got you," I whisper. Once again, his lips return to my forehead.

"You're so cute, Kid."

~NLG~

Days pass and I feel better soon enough. Edward really knows how to make someone feel better. I was right. He knows exactly what to do. He promises me that once I feel 100% better, he will show me how to cook more stuff.

When I steal his sandwich and he chases after me around the apartment, he decides I feel better and takes me to the kitchen.

He shows me how to turn on the stove, how to cook a few things that come in cans and boxes. He says he will teach me more when I get the hang of that. Then he shows me how to turn the apartment alarm on and off and how to lock the door. I don't know why he decided to show me all of these things but I like learning so I go with it.

He makes me memorize his cell phone number during dinner.

"If I ever need to leave the apartment without you, I want you to know how to call me if you're in danger or if you need anything. Don't ever hesitate to call me."

"Okay."

"So one more time. What's my phone number?"

"I'm n-not a re-re-retard, Edward! I get it!" I say frustrated at him.

"I didn't say you were, Kid. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. I just want to make sure you 're always safe."

"Fine," I huff and repeat the numbers back at him.

"Good."

I roll my eyes at him.

He chuckles.

Ass.

~NLG~

I'm in the book room, looking through some books when Edward says we have to go to Alice's new job. She's having car issues.

I put on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and my blue sneakers. Edward says we need to hurry, so I pull my hair up into a pony tail and rush out the door with him.

Edward doesn't say anything as we drive to Alice's job. So I ignore him and stare out my window. The buildings get nicer and nicer and when Edward parks in front of one of the nicest businesses, I gasp knowing this is where Alice works.

It's a huge place. The building is many floors high and looks very fancy. As we walk inside, I suddenly feel self conscious of my t-shirt and jeans. There a lot of ladies dressed in nice skirts and high heels. All of them are very pretty and look like the ladies from the magazines I would sleep on.

There are men too, wearing ties and suits. I walk closer to Edward and grab onto his hand. He looks down at me and smiles.

"Scary place, huh?" He asks.

I shake my head. "It's very pr-pretty, but big."

"Yup, the owners have loads of money."

"You kn-know them, E-Edward?" I asked in shock.

He chuckles. "No. I don't know Mr. and Mrs. Swan. But everyone knows about them. They are really rich and well known around country."

We continue walking and I wonder how much walking poor Alice does to work here. We take the elevator and reach the 3rd floor. When the doors open, a blonde girl sees Edward and automatically rushes to him.

"Edward!" She screeches and hugs him as we exit the elevator. I frown and have a strange feeling in my chest. She's tall, has big green eyes and is very pretty. I don't like her.

"Lauren, what a surprise!" Edward says. He's smiling and I get even more upset that he likes her.

"Tell me about it! I haven't seen you since…well…since you know."

"Since Kate's funeral."

"Yeah."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm in the training class. I'm going to internship here after that," she says.

"Oh, wow. You too. That's great, Lauren."

She laughs and I can tell it's fake. She finally realizes I exist.

She eyes me up and down and then looks back at Edward.

"Who's this, Edward?"

He turns and pulls me forward.

"This is my friend, Kid. We came to visit Alice. She was having car issues and she wanted me to check it out."

"Oh, Emmett already checked it out. She should have told you so you wouldn't have to drive this far, but I'm glad I got to see you again," she says.

"Emmett? He works here too?"

"Oh, wow. I thought you would know since he's married to your cousin, Rosalie. He's been working here for the past year. He's the one that told Alice and me about the internship."

Edward sighs and shakes his head. "I guess I've been really out of it for a quite some time," he says sadly. "But I think I'm ready to be back."

"I sure do hope so," a deep, manly voice says and we turn to him.

A large burly man walks towards us.

"Emmett!" Edward greets him with a strong handshake. Emmett is huge. He has dark curly hair and big blue eyes. He doesn't seem scary, but I hide behind Edward anyway. Emmett looks down at me and grins at me. His dimples and the twinkle in his eyes tell me he's nice.

"Ed, why don't you and your friend here join me for lunch down stairs? Maybe we can talk some more?"

Edward agrees and takes my hand to follow Emmett back down stairs.

He tells Emmett I'm a friend that he's helping out. Emmett doesn't seem like he believes him, but doesn't question further. He makes a few jokes and tries to include me in the conversation about politics and sports, but most of the time I don't know what he's talking about, so I just nod.

"So, dude, how is to work here?" Edward asks him as I pick at my sandwich. I feel strange. My mood is confusing. I feel weird that all of these people are showing up in Edward's life. I'm starting to realize that it's not just him and me anymore. I hope everything goes back to normal once we go back home.

"It's great," Emmett says honestly. "It's a good company to work for. A lot of opportunities to move up. You should apply for the next training class. You would be working with Alice, me, and Lauren, Kate's best friend and you would be getting a good name on your resume. It's time to get out of your depression, Ed. It's time to do something with your life. Kate would have wanted you to."

Edward nods and offers me some of his chips. He tells me I need to eat my entire sandwich since I didn't eat breakfast. I tell him I get it and that he doesn't need to lecture me, but he continues to push food at me. Emmett smiles at us.

"Em, I'm really thinking about it. This sounds like a good idea. It would do me good to work."

"Well think about it faster, dude."

"Have you met the owners?"

"Heck yes."

"Really? Are they uptight assholes?"

Emmett laughs. "A little. Mrs. Swan hardly comes. She comes in once in a while to check on her husband and the company, but doesn't say much to anybody else. I've never actually spoken to her. I've only seen her from afar. They say she's a bit quiet and gentle. A big contrast to her husband. Charles Swan."

"Is he the asshole?"

"Hell yes. He's a total prick. They both don't even have to be here. They are too rich and can have someone do all the work, but he refuses to let anybody else do it. He spends all his time up on the 7th floor, barking orders at people. He even barks at the cleaning ladies. When he's not barking he's locked inside his office. He always looks like he's pissed. Something is wrong with that guy. But I don't work directly for him and neither would you, so it's okay."

Charles Swan sounds scary. I wouldn't want Edward working for him.

Charles Swan sounds mean and like he would give Edward hell.

I shudder at the thought of ever meeting him.

* * *

**You have no idea, Kid.**

**So from the reviews from the last chapter, some of you said it was obvious who the Swans were. Well of course! HAHA. The trick is getting Kid to them and them to her. **

**Also, some have been asking who Kate was. You'll find out who she really was to Edward soon enough ;)**

**Thanks again and leave me some love/comments/reviews/smoke signals/graffiti or whatever ff is calling it now. **

**Follow me on the Twittah HelloElla90 and on the FB Ella Hello (apperantly they know Hello can't be a real name and forbid me to use it) I do leave teasers on the FB and twitter. I'll try to make it a Thursday thing. **

**Chao**


	9. A Real Mom

**Once again I apologize for the delay. My business trip went well and then I got home and my muse for writing seemed clouded. (You know what I'm referring to.) I managed to shake it off, realized all of this started because of fiction and brought Kid to life again. **

**Thanks for the lovely reviews. Again, they are such a motivation. **

**This was not reviewed by a beta again. Only because I wanted to update as soon as I could. Please ignore my mistakes. Especially when I forget words (very annoying. I know! My brain=Fail)**

**Here is Kid. I know how much we all miss her. :)**

* * *

Chapter 9- A Real Mom

BPOV

"So what do you press to record your voice?" Edward asks for the tenth time.

I sigh in frustration and point at the red button. "Here!"

"Don't get feisty, Kid."

"I'm n-n-not!"

"Then why are you yelling at me?"

"B-b-because I get it already!"

He chuckles. He never takes me seriously when I'm mad.

Asshole.

Edward decided to get a job at that Swan place. I don't know what it's called. He starts next week. Before he applied, he asked me if it was okay with me. I don't know why he asked me. It's not like it matters what I think.

If it was up to me, Edward would stay with me forever, watching cartoons on TV and sitting on top of the roof, looking at the sky. But I understand everybody's gotta work. I get bored myself and clean around the house now, even though he insists I don't need to.

Besides, Alice said Edward is sad, which I already knew, and that getting this job would help him be happier. I thought us hangin out was gonna help him, but I guess I was wrong. So if it truly does help, I have no choice but to agree. I want nothing more than for Edward to be happy.

He looks beautiful when he smiles.

Even though it means he has to leave me alone for a while Monday through Friday.

Him getting a job means I'll be by myself for 8 hours a day. Edward is paranoid at the idea. I've told him lots of times that I got the hang of things now. I know how to use the microwave, the stove, and I know how to turn on alarms and how to call him if I need anything.

He's not convinced.

So he's making this whole plan and process for him and me to follow. He'll cook my breakfast and lunch before he leaves. I'll watch TV most of the day and Mrs. Cope will check on me every once in a while throughout the day.

He bought a little machine that records voice messages in case I'm still asleep when he leaves and he has to tell me something. It sticks to the refrigerator for easy access.

It would be much easier if I could read and he could just leave notes.

I'm to check it every morning when I wake up.

"Test," he says into the machine and presses the play button.

_Test_ it repeats back.

He presses down on the record button again. "Isabella. Your real name is Isabella."

The machine plays his recorded voice and I roll my eyes at him. "It wo-works, E-E-Edward."

"It's your turn."

"No."

"Come on."

He pulls me forward and I press down on the button, placing my mouth by the speaker. "E-Edward snores," I say and play it back.

"See, it works," I say.

"I don't snore, Kid."

"You do, like a l-l-lion."

Edward gasps and starts to tickle me. I giggle and try to slap his hands away, but he continues. "You're gonna pay for that, Kid!"

"No!"

I manage to escape his arms and run into the leaving room where he manages to catch me, throw me on the couch and continue his tickling assault.

"S-stop! Eh-Ed…ugh…I'm gonna p-p-pee!" I gasp and giggle at the same time. He jumps off the couch, stopping his tickling and sits on the floor. We're both out of breath.

"Were you really gonna pee?" He asks and I laugh.

"You're s-s-silly."

He smiles. Once again the funny feeling in my chest takes over causing me to sigh. "I like wh-when you s-s-smile," I say, caressing his cheek. I've become a little brave lately. I'm not afraid of him anymore like I might have been before.

He takes my hand in his and puts on his head. I message his scalp, feeling the softness of his messy hair with my fingers. "You make me smile, Kid," he whispers. "You make me feel better."

"I do?"

"Yeah, it's like if I had a headache and you make it go away."

"Th-th-then I should touch yo-yo-your head more often," I say, causing him to chuckle again.

He pushes a strand of my hair behind my ear, sits up and kisses my forehead and then my cheek. His soft lips linger there for a second, before he pulls away.

I feel warmth spread across my face.

And my heart.

~NLG~

"Mrs. Cope said she would check on you around lunch time. Which is when?"

I sigh. "When the clo-cl-clock says 12." Today is Edward's first day of work. He made me wake up early this first day so he could make sure with me that everything was gonna go the way he planned.

"No feistiness, Kid."

"I'm not!"

He chuckles.

"I'll try to call the house number during my afternoon break to check on you, so pay attention to the phone."

"Okay."

"Try not to watch so much TV. Look through my books."

"Are yo-you gonna teach me how t-t-to read?"

"I will soon enough."

"Okay."

He packs some papers in a folder and walks to the door.

"Your breakfast is on the table and lunch is in the fridge. How many minutes in the microwave?"

"Two," I mumble. I look down at my feet. He's closer to the door and closer to leaving me alone. It's strange that I have spent all of my life alone with nobody to call my own, but now one person has changed everything and I find myself afraid of the emptiness I'll feel when he leaves. Though the feeling won't be foreign to me, I know it'll hit me worse since it's him I'll miss.

He's given me so much already. He's my life now and no matter what happens he'll always be part of me. He's given me the company and warmth I've craved so much in all my years and he's not even required to.

Edward has a good heart and I'm happy he lets me stay with him.

I hope I get to stay in his home and find a place in his heart for as long as I can.

I bite my lip waiting for him to say goodbye. I watch as he checks his phone and checks himself one more time in the mirror, fixing his tie.

He turns to me and I know this is it. "Alright, Kid. I'll see you at around 5. Be good and call me if you need anything," he says. He awkwardly looks around, clears his throat and then runs his hands through his hair before moving toward me. He takes me in his arms, giving me a tight and long hug. "I'll miss you, Kid. Thank you for being here with me. Life's not so bad anymore," he whispers.

I feel his lips on my cheek before he finally lets me go. He takes a few slow steps to the door before giving me one last smile and finally leaving.

It's only a few minutes later I realize I'm grinning and still standing by the door.

~NLG~

I spend the morning cleaning the kitchen and watching TV. I'm really bored. Dolly wants to look at books so I take her to the bookroom.

"Wh-wha-what book?" I ask her. We end up on the floor looking through pages after pages for a long time. I get frustrated that I don't know what the books say, so I make up the stories myself. "So you s-s-see, Dolly, the dragon is mean. What? You d-d-don't believe me? One d-day I'm gonna learn how to read and r-r-rub it in your face," I tell her.

We don't really fight. We just argue over silly things. We don't stay mad though.

She's been feeling sick lately. She has a small opening on her arm and needs to be fixed, but I don't know how. The fabric is torn and her stuffing comes out if I'm not careful. I assure her that I'll be gentle with her and find something to wrap her arm with.

I'm about to stand up to grab another book when I hear the door of the apartment open. My heart jumps, I grab Dolly and hide behind the partially opened door to the bookroom. I try holding my rough breaths so I won't be heard. Through the small opening of the door, I see Mrs. Cope looking around the kitchen.

"Kid?" she calls out.

I sigh in relief and answer.

"I'm here, Ms. C-Co-Cope."

She smiles at me. "Hello, dear. Do you want me to heat up your lunch? Edward said he left in the fridge for you."

"I'm n-n-not hungry yet. B-b-but I know how to heat it up," I assure her. She sighs and looks around the apartment.

"This place looks clean. He usually asks housekeeping to come clean twice a week, but he hasn't done so in a while. You're not messy, I see," she says and laughs.

"I clean. I ain't a bum," I tell her. "I'm gonna ge-ge-get a job one day and I'm gah-gonna help."

"I'm sure you are, honey. I didn't say anything. You look like you're an honest gal. I just wonder what you're really doing here," she says.

"Eh-Eh-Edward is my friend. He's le-letting me stay with heh-him."

"Hmm, well I believe you, but it's just strange. That boy has been alone in this place for a long time."

"Well not no more."

She smiles again. Her grey eyes and wrinkled face soften. "I'm glad."

I'm about to ask her to stay with me for lunch so I won't be lonely, when there is a knock at the door. She offers to answer so I wait.

When she opens the door, a sweet and soft voice asks for Edward.

"I must have gotten the wrong apartment number. They told me he was staying here," the woman with the sweet voice says.

"I know him. May I ask who you are?" Ms. Cope asks.

"I'm Esme Cullen. I'm Edward's mother."

I gasp and excitedly run to the door, move Ms. Cope over and take in the lovely lady at the door.

She is beautiful.

Her eyes are as green as Edwards and her hair is the same reddish brown like his, but is neatly curled at the ends and reaches her shoulders. She is dressed in a fancy looking skirt and blouse.

"You're Eh-Edward's mom?" I ask. She eyes me up and down and nods. She smiles not knowing what else to do, but I giggle of excitement, because I'm finally meeting the woman Edward talk's about with so much love.

His mom.

The woman that took care of him, protected him and never gave him away.

I catch her off guard and throw my arms around her shoulders, giving her a tight hug. "It's nice to me-meet you," I say against his shoulder. She smells nice and clean. It takes her a while but she finally pats my back.

"It's nice to meet you too…"

"Kid! My name is Kid," I say and finally let her go. I offer her my hand and she takes it in a handshake.

"Kid?"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you know Edward?"

"Of course. I li-live with him here."

She gasps. "What?"

"Ye-ye-yes." Before I can say anything, Ms. Cope stands in front of me.

"Mrs. Cullen, Kid here is only a friend of Edwards'. Don't think wrong," she explains.

"How can I not? He has a young girl living with him!"

Mrs. Cope asks Mrs. Esme to talk to her in the kitchen. Mrs. Esme reluctantly agrees and follows her. Mrs. Cope asks me to stay in the living room and I obey.

While they talk, I check myself out in the mirror. My hair is messy and my t-shirt is wrinkled. Embarrassed that this is how I've met Edward's mom, I quickly run my fingers through my hair in hopes to make it better. I stretch out my t-shirt wanting for the wrinkles to disappear. I wipe my face with the back of my hands just in case I have any smudges and pick at my teeth. I wish I was wearing my new blue sneakers and some clean jeans instead of shorts and being barefoot.

I don't have time to change because the next thing I see is walking towards me as she walks out of the kitchen. The small smile on her lips assures me that she isn't mad that I'm in her son's apartment. She sighs and sits on Edward's couch.

"So, Kid," she says. "Want to sit down with me and explain how you know my son?"

~NLG~

We've been sitting on Edward's couch for a long time. I've told her everything about my time with Edward. From the time he bought me new clothes to the time he took care of me when I was sick. Mrs. Esme seems to like it very much because she grins, showing me her bright teeth.

"So this is Dolly?" She asks me. She is holding Dolly in her hands. I've never let anybody touch her, except the time Edward put her in the washer. When I was in foster homes, the other kids would tease me about Dolly and steal her from me and hide her. One time, I spent all day looking for her and crying hard. From then on I promised to never let her be taken.

But when found her on the couch and started inspecting her, I didn't have any fear. Somehow, knowing she's a good mom, made me feel better about her not hurting Dolly.

"Uh-huh, that's Dolly." I slowly look at in the eyes, checking to see if she thinks I'm crazy. My heart flutters when Esme smiles at me.

"Where did you find her? She's pretty."

"My m-m-mom gave it to m-m-me."

"Where is your mom?"

"I don-don't kn-know. I've never m-met her."

Her face falls and looks down at Dolly again. "Have you ever been scared of losing Dolly?"

I nod frantically. "Ye-ye-yes!"

~NLG~

Mrs. Esme asks if it's okay if she looks around Edward's living room. I say yes and I hope Edward doesn't get mad. She points out that Edward hardly has any decorations.

I tell her that when I first met him I thought the same and somehow it made sense considering he was always sad. She doesn't seem to like what I said.

She asks when he will get home and I shrug.

I invite Mrs. Esme to have lunch with me. She says she isn't hungry, but she'll help me. She watches as I put the bowl of stew Edward made into the microwave and press the start button. When it's done, I reach for it but Mrs. Esme shouts for me to stop.

She mutters that Edward doesn't have oven mittens and needs them. She finds dish rags and uses them to take the bowl of stew out from the microwave.

"Make sure to blow on it. It's hot," she tells me.

I offer her some but she declines. I can feel her staring as I eat, but somehow I don't care. She gets up and gets me a soda. She tells me Edward should get more bottled water as its better for me. She also hands me napkins. She pulls my long hair back and says as I should put in a pony tail when I eat so it won't get into my food. She asks me about living alone for so long on the streets and what I think of Edward.

"I'm glad my son has given you a home. I'm also glad he found you," she says. "God knows my son has needed a new friend. Someone that doesn't remind him of Kate. He's lucky to have found someone to help him. You must be a very special girl, Kid. Out of all people in the world, he let you in."

I just nod. I still think I'm the one that's lucky to have him.

"Do you know where he works?" She asks.

"Umm, I th-th-think it's called Sw-Swan or something."

"The same place where Alice works? That brat! She didn't tell me that." She stands up. I'm disappointed that she wants to leave.

"Wh-wh-where are you going? Ar-are you m-mad?" I ask her.

She smiles. She gently wraps her arms around me, placing my face against her shoulder. She smells like honey, soft and warm against my nose. I can feel her heart beats under the hand I have over her back as she embraces me. "I'll see you again, Kid," she says. "'I'm not mad. It's almost five o'clock. I have to go find my son and be his mom." I sigh...She's a mom. A real mom.

"Why can't I co-co-come with you?" I ask hanging onto the back of her blouse.

"You want to come with me?"

"Ye-yeah. Puh-please?"

"You shouldn't be so trustful of people you don't know, Kid."

I look down at my feet ashamed she thinks I'm a dumb child.

"But," she whispers. "You can trust me. Let's go surprise Edward. I think he won't be so mad at me if you're with me" She giggles making me smile.

She's beautiful.

~NLG~

"So what are you planning on doing while Edward works, Kid?" She asks as we drive to Edward's job.

"I d-d-don't know. I wa-wanna work too."

"Really? Why don't you? I think it would be good for you to be doing something productive. Living alone for so long can make you anxious."

"I do-don't know my so-social s-security nu-number or and I don't have a b-b-birth certificate."

Mrs. Esme nods, sighs and at a red light gives me one good look and says "I need someone to help me at the office."

"Really?" I ask excitedly.

"Yes. I run the office practically by myself with a little help. My assistant, Angela, can't manage everything. I think it would be great to have someone help her."

"W-wha-what do you do?"

"I'm a doctor."

"Really? Like for sick people?"

"Yes. But I'm the type of doctor that people go to when they have trouble with their thoughts or mind and yes some can be 'sick.' They talk to me and I try to find a way to make them think differently about things or make them see what they couldn't see before."

"I d-don't think I ca-can help you, Mrs. Esme."

"Why is that?"

"I ain't s-s-smart. I can't read or wr-write."

She smiles. "You will be. Besides, we can start you off easy. You make people feel comfortable. You could help patients with coffee or magazines while they wait for me."

"I could do th-th-that!"

"Good. We'll talk to Edward and see what we come up with."

I nod excitedly. I will finally have a job of my own. I'm gonna help Edward. Maybe this way he won't get tired of me so easily.

When we arrive at the Edward's job, I take in the size of the building again. Esme tells me that her office is a few blocks down the street and that she'll show me soon.

She talks about how helpful I'll be and how it'll help me pro-pro-progress or something like that. I don't know what she means by that but I just nod and follow her up the stairs towards the doors.

As we walk, the doors suddenly open. A tall man in a suit walks out and holds the door for some people. I look down at my feet hoping I don't get in someone's way or fall. I notice Mrs. Esme is ahead of by a few steps, so I hurry.

I suddenly get pushed back a little and realize I just ran into someone.

"I'm so-s-s-sorry," I say as I gain my balance. I look into the face of the person I bumped into and realize it's a woman. She's my same height and is almost as small as I am. She looks right into my eyes and smiles. Her blue eyes seem tired, but I can tell her soft smile is honest. She nervously runs a hand through her brown hair and bites her lower lip.

Just like I do.

"It's alright, sweetheart," she assures me. "Accidents happen, right?"

I nod, agreeing with her. Her voice is small, but I manage to hear it.

The tall man in the suit comes over and stands in front of her and pushes me back. "Watch where you're going, girl," he huffs.

The lady, as small and weak as she looks, manages to pull him by the arm.

"Calm down, Tyler. It was an accident."

He looks embarrassed then looks at her. "I apologize, Mrs. Swan," he says.

She then looks at me and asks, "what is your name, child?"

* * *

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	10. Sister

**Hola everyone! Sorry for the huge wait! **

**Once again this is unbetad, so please ignore my mistakes. They tend to happen :) **

* * *

Chapter 10- Sister

"_It's alright, sweetheart," she assures me. "Accidents happen, right?"_

_I nod, agreeing with her. Her voice is small, but I manage to hear it._

_The tall man in the suit comes over and stands in front of her and pushes me back. "Watch where you're going, girl," he huffs. _

_The lady, as small and weak as she looks, manages to pull him by the arm. _

"_Calm down, Tyler. It was an accident."_

_He looks embarrassed then looks at her. "I apologize, Mrs. Swan," he says._

_She then looks at me and asks, "what is your name, child?"_

"Kid?" I hear Mrs. Esme call my name. She's walking toward me and glaring at the big man named Tyler.

"Kid?" Mrs. Swan asks and I nod.

"Th-that's my name," I say proudly and stick my hand out for her to shake. She grins and soon enough her small and soft hand is in mine. We are equally pale and I can't help but notice we have similar hands- small, thin and harmless looking hands. I bet she's a mom. She's probably a good mom that defends her kids from mean people like Big Tyler and that uses her soft hands to rub away tummy aches and to caress cheeks.

Mrs. Esme finally makes her way to me. Both women say hello and exchange a few words, but Mrs. Swan keeps looking at me. She asks Mrs. Esme if she's my mom, but Mrs. Esme says she just met me today.

"You're very pretty, Kid. How old are you? Mari…I have a friend that has a daughter that looks around your age," she says.

I can feel myself blush. Ain't nobody ever call me pretty. She's very sweet.

"I'm se-sev-seventeen," I say, trying my best not to stutter, but fail, yet she doesn't seem to care.

For some reason my age seems to disappoint her. She sadly looks at the ground and clears her throat.

"Mar…I mean my friend's daughter would have been sixteen," she says lowly. "We have to get back home. It was nice meeting you, Kid." She gives my arm a gentle squeeze and walks away with Big Tyler.

I feel a little disappointed that she left. I had only known her for a few minutes, but I wanted to keep talking to her.

I feel Mrs. Esme wrap an arm around my shoulders. She pulls me close to her. She must sense my strange mood.

"Well, it seems like the richest woman in Washington likes you, Kid," Mrs. Esme says.

"She's the richest!" I squeal.

"Oh, Kid. You have much to learn. It's going to be fun working with you," she says and pulls me toward the building.

~NLG~

Mrs. Esme and I are standing inside the elevator waiting to reach Edward's floor. She commended me for remembering what floor he worked on. On the second floor, a group of women dressed in nice and fancy office clothes walk in. They speak amongst themselves about work and "spreadsheets" and "deadlines." I have no idea what they are talking about.

_Maybe if I did Edward wouldn't eventually get tired of me. I wish I was like them._

The taller one turns and looks down at me. Their pretty shoes look painful and make a lot of noise when they walk, but make them seem really tall. The tall brunette looks down at my shoes and slowly drags her eyes up to my face and raises an eyebrow in question.

I quickly hide behind Mrs. Esme. I hear the fancy ladies say something, but I stare down at my blue sneakers trying not to pay attention to them.

When we reach Edward's floor, Mrs. Esme lets the ladies exit the elevator first. They thank her, but as they leave they give me one last look and smirk.

So rude.

I can feel myself get a little frustrated, but as Mrs. Esme and I walk into Edward's floor, I automatically stand straighter and try to act less ignorant. I still hide behind her. I wanna grab onto her blouse or hand, but we hardly know each other. I don't wanna annoy her so I walk as close as I can to her.

Mrs. Esme asks the lady at the front desk about Edward. She tells us that he's about to come out of the training room for the end of the day.

As we wait for Edward sitting on a couch, I keep thinking about the ladies from the elevator. I wonder if they think of me as a joke, what Edward and his friends might think. How am I gonna keep up? I have to find a way to impress Edward. I can't keep being this little fragile thing he worries about.

I feel Mrs. Esme's hand on my shoulder.

"Kid, quit thinking so much. Whatever makes you sad or mad isn't worth dwelling over," she says.

I nod trying to agree with her.

The moment I see that blonde woman, Lauren, giggling and touching Edward's arm, I feel rage running through me like never before. They are walking out of an office, looking like they are very happy in each other's presence. I forget about looking "normal" and let my anger take over.

I stand up and head to the elevator, ready to leave, but once again Mrs. Esme catches me by the shoulder.

She tells the front desk lady to tell Edward to wait and pulls me into the restroom. She orders me to wash my face.

"I'm n-n-not dirty," I mutter.

"I didn't say you were, Kid. Just splash your face with water."

I groan and do as she says.

"Where were you planning on going, Kid?"

I shrug.

"Did those ladies make you mad?"

I don't answer and just dry my face with paper towels.

"Look, I know you're trying your best to be on Edward's good grace, but that doesn't mean you have to look and act like everyone around him," she says. She gently pushes strands of my hair behind my ear. "Apparently he adores you for who you are. You're the only one that has managed to get him out of his slump. But you also can't just stomp around when things are not going your way or act like a child. You have to think before you act. Make decisions before you walk and run and don't let your feelings decide for you. Are you listening to me, Kid?"

"Y-yes ma'am."

"Good. Now, stand up straight and smile. We're going to talk to my son and I expect you to think about what I just told you. Am I clear?"

I just nod and look shamefully at my shoes.

"What did I say about standing up straight?"

I quickly look up and straighten up.

~NLG~

"Mom?" Edward asks as we walk towards him. His mouth is opened and his eyes are wide. He wipes his hands on his pants and clears his throat.

"Edward," she cries and they hug. They exchange words and apologies as I stand back. I watch as Edward lets out a few tears. I've never seen him like this, but I smile because I know he's happy to see his mom.

He pulls away after giving his mom a kiss on her forehead. He looks over at me and smiles.

"Kid, did you tell her where I worked?"

I nod. "Ar-are you m-mad at me?" I ask.

He chuckles and pulls me into his chest, hugging me tightly. "Of course not, Kid. Let's go have dinner with my mom."

"Okay."

~NLG~

I chew on my food quietly and try not to make a mess in front of Mrs. Esme.

She and her son talk about a lot of stuff. Some of it makes Edward look a little sad.

"I'm not ready to talk to him," he says.

"When will you, Edward?" Mrs. Esme asks. "You're just afraid that he'll remind you of everything that happened. You have to understand that he did what he did as a doctor, not as your father. It wouldn't have been fair to Kate."

"I loved her, Mom. You think he couldn't have just told me? How about 'hey, son, your soon to be fiancée is going to die?' I think that would have been fair to both of us."

"I see you're still equally as upset. You haven't moved on, Edward. That isn't progress."

"Don't, Mom. I'm not one of your patients. I just need you to be my mom."

"I am your mother. That is why I'm telling you, for your own good, that you need to let it go."

"I was going to ask her to marry me."

"I know, Son."

"I loved her very much."

"I know."

I've stopped eating. I was the only one eating anyway. I'm sad for Edward. Kate wasn't only his friend, but the woman he loved. It must be tough to lose someone you love. I wonder if he could ever love someone else.

I think about that Lauren lady. Could he love her? Would I eventually be in the way of that? Am I already in the way?

"But I'm doing so much better, Mom," Edward says and places a hand over mine. "Kid gives me happiness. She's a great friend. It's because of her that I finally decided to wake up and get a job. She's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."

I feel as I can't breathe. My heart hammers against my chest. So I squeeze his hand in mine to help with the overwhelming excitement threatening to take over.

_He said I make him happy! _

"I can see that she feels the same about you, Edward," Mrs. Esme says with a smile.

~NLG~

At first Edward wasn't too happy about me working with Mrs. Esme. It wasn't until Mrs. Esme assured him that I would be with her all day and he could call her if he wanted to check on me.

She also said something about me needing school or something.

I'm not too sure. They talked to themselves a lot as if I wasn't in the room.

The afternoon before I started, he made me promise I would act professional and if I got mad for me to talk to Mrs. Esme first.

I rolled my eyes at him, but agreed.

Alice came over and picked out clothes for me to wear for the week. She said I had to look presentable. I was disappointed when she said I couldn't wear my blue sneakers and made me wear "flats" as she called them.

Overall I don't like the texture of my new clothes. They feel itchy and uncomfortable. She said all of it used to belong to her, but that I could have it now.

This is why I'm gonna work. So people will stop giving me stuff and I can give in return. I'm gonna do my best.

It's time to sleep. I don't know if I will be able to doze off. I have butterflies in my stomach. I don't wanna disappoint.

I slip under the covers and wait for Edward. I really wanna listen to him talk. He hasn't done it in a while with all this work stuff. His side of the bed smells like him and I can't wait to have his warm body next to mine.

He walks into the room, wearing a white t-shirt and long shorts. His hair is damp from his shower and is skin holds a subtle blush from the warm water.

He's beautiful.

"Hey, Kid," he says and walks over to his side of the bed.

I lie back down, ready for him to call it a night, but suddenly my heart drops as he grabs his pillow off the bed and one of the blankets.

"Wha-what ar-are you doin?" I ask nervously.

He exhales while rubbing his face with his free hand. "Look, I think it's time for me to let you sleep on your own. I'll sleep on the couch from now on."

"Wh-what? Why? Do I sn-snore? I pro-promise I wo-wont' anymore." I start to panic.

_This isn't good. He'll eventually leave me. _

He shakes his head and sits next to me. "No, Kid, you don't snore. Though you do occasionally talk in your sleep and it's pretty cute actually, but that's not why I'm moving to the couch."

"Then why?" I try not sound like a little child, but I know I'm failing at it.

He sighs and groans. Once again, he takes his hair to blame with his long fingers. "I just don't think it's appropriate anymore."

"B-but we do-don't do anything like th-those men with J-Jessica."

He groans and mutters a few curse words. "I know, Kid. But it's just out of respect and you have to learn that I won't always be by your side. I may work late or..." he pauses. "It doesn't matter. It's just out of respect. Adults that are not dating shouldn't sleep in the same bed."

I give him a confused look causing him to chuckle. "I know I suck at explaining this, but one day you'll understand."

"I do-don't unders-understand now."

"I know, Kid. I know."

"Goodnight, Edward," I huff and slam my head against my pillow, facing away from him.

"Come on, Isabella. Don't like act like that."

"D-d-do-Don't call me Isabella."

"You're acting like a baby," he mutters.

"Then le-le-leave!"

He sighs. "Don't be mad, Kid. This doesn't mean anything. It just means I'm sleeping on the couch."

_I bet if I was that pretty Lauren lady, he wouldn't sleep on the couch._

I don't respond and after a few minutes, he gets tired of waiting for me so mutters a "goodnight" and leaves.

"Dolly?" I whisper. She's under the bed. "Dolly, ar-ar-are you aw-awake?" I pull her out and hug her to my chest. "S-s-sorry I made you sle-sleep under the b-b-bed," I tell her. She doesn't seem to mind. She says that she knew I was still around so she didn't worry.

Maybe I overreacted with Edward.

~NLG~

Esme picks me up. Edward tells her that from now on he'll give me a ride. He didn't act mad at me while he made breakfast. I was too ashamed so I hardly said anything or looked at him in the face.

I did ask him if he slept okay and assured him that I could sleep on the couch since it was his apartment. He declined and told me to hurry so that we could go to work.

"Every day, all day long in the office, I need you to call me Dr. Cullen, Kid," Mrs. Esme says as she drives. "It doesn't matter if there are no patients around."

I nod. Whatever she says.

"Also, you can't talk about the patient's names or what they tell you with anybody, not even Edward. Do you understand?"

"Yes. B-but why wo-would they talk to me?"

"They are people, Kid. People that have issues. Some of them don't have anybody to talk to or rather talk to a stranger about their problems rather than talk to their family. Sometimes we just want to talk to anybody that listens and that won't judge."

"Like E-Edward?"

She doesn't respond.

"He tells me e-ev-everything."

"Yes," she says. "Like Edward."

When we get there, she shows me around her office and waiting room. It's a nice place. Very fancy. I don't wanna touch anything out of fear that I'll break something.

She introduces me to Angela, a young girl with long dark hair. She seems nice. She will handle all paperwork and stuff with the computer.

I will welcome the patients, make sure there is enough coffee made and everything is clean.

I'm excited.

"So ho-how do you fix, p-p-people?" I ask Mrs. Esme.

She smiles and leads me into her office. There is a large brown couch and a smaller one by it with a small table in the middle. A large window lets light in from the outside. It looks very comfortable.

"I don't 'fix' people, Kid. We just talk and try to find answers to the questions that make them feel sad or sick."

"Oh," I simply answer.

"Why don't you sit on the big couch?" she asks.

I nod and slowly take a seat.

"I hafta tell yo-yo-you something," I say looking at my hands, avoiding her face.

"What is it?" She sits on the smaller couch next to me.

"Don-don't be m-mad, okay?"

"Okay."

"I c-ca-can't read," I confess. I feel the heat of my embarrassment spread over my face. I don't hear her say anything so I look up. She still looks nice. She doesn't seem mad at all.

"Its okay, Kid. We'll get someone to help you."

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

"You shouldn't feel guilty. It's not your fault. You don't always have to take accountability. You can move on and start over. Deal with life with what you have."

"I can s-start over?"

"Yes. Think of this as a new chance. You have people that care now."

"I b-b-bet you're a good mom, Mrs. Es-Es... I mean Dr. Cullen."

She smiles. "Thank you. I think I am."

"Edward is v-v-very lucky to have you."

"What about you? Do you think you're unlucky because you don't have a mom?"

I shrug, grab onto a small cushion and hug it to my chest. "I don't know," I mumble. "I've n-n-never had a lot of g-g-good things happen to me."

"And you think this is because you don't have your parents?"

"Maybe. I've always j-j-just wanted someone t-t-to go to when I'm lonely. Which is all the t-t-time. Is it st-stupid that I st-still want a mom and d-d-dad?"

Esme sighs and shakes her head. "No, of course not. It's normal. But you also need to accept that it's not something that was given to you. Regardless of how much it hurts."

"Why?" I whisper. My voice cracks.

"Because we can't change the past, Kid. But you can move forward and appreciate the new people in your life that do care about you. They'll never replace the warmth of a mother or the protection of a father, but they care about you so much. You have to see that from them. Edward and Alice...and myself."

I smile. I still want to find my parents one day, but just knowing that she cares makes me happy. She's a good mom. Maybe she can pretend to be mine one day.

~NLG~

Esme and Angela show me how to act in front of patients and what to say. They show me how to stand and offer coffee and make them sign papers and where.

I think I got it.

Angela helps the first few patients that come in and I follow her around. She is very polite to them, but once we are in the back making coffee, she sighs and starts complaining about some of them.

I thought we weren't supposed to?

"Ugh, I swear some of the crazies that come in are rude as hell," she whispers. "You'll get used to them, but hell, they still get under my skin once in a while."

I just nod. I'm scared to say anything. I don't want Mrs. Esme to get mad at me already.

"You'll get the sobbing, self talking, and angry, weird and just totally depressed crazies. But then you'll get the completely normal looking ones that think they are better than everyone else. I don't know how Dr. Cullen puts up with them."

_Because she wants to help them talk._

_Would she think I'm crazy for talking to Dolly?_

_Am I crazy?_

"And today is Monday!"

"So?" I ask.

"Her biggest patient comes in on Mondays and Fridays."

"Is he cr-cr-crazy?"

"Well I read on his file that he is depressed. He's depressed because he doesn't know how to deal with the loss of his daughter and his wife seems to be obsessed with the idea of finding her and he can't stand it. He thinks she's dead, but she won't give up and it drives him to depression."

"I th-thought we-weren't supposed to lo-look or talk about the pa-patient's files?" I ask. Angela giggles and rolls her eyes.

"Of course we aren't supposed to. I don't tell anybody that I do look at the files. I'm just telling you. I can't keep all this to myself. I'll go nuts too."

Remembering Mrs. Esme's words about people wanting others to talk to, I just nod.

"Anyway, he comes in with a big bodyguard and ignores me all the time. He's very rude. I'll let you handle him."

I nod. I'm not sure I can do this anymore.

~NLG~

"Kid?" Mrs. Esme calls me into her office.

My heart starts hammering against my chest. I wonder if she heard Angela talking about the patients. I wonder if she'll kick me out for it.

_Am I in trouble?_

_Am I a bad person for listening to Angela?_

I nervously walk to her.

"Yes?" I choke.

"Kid, my last patient of the day is a very strong presence. He's a very important man. It's important that you don't tell anybody that he comes here. Nobody knows, not even his family."

I nod.

Who would I tell anyway?

"Promise me that you'll be the only one that knows."

"I promise!" I screech. She gives me a curious look, but moves on.

"He can also be a little rude, just be as polite as possible. Remember what I said about getting mad?"

"Y-yes. Think before...I a-a-act."

"And?"

"Come t-t-to you."

"Yes, now sometimes he wants coffee and sometimes he doesn't. Just ask him, okay?"

I nod. I feel myself getting a little nervous and my gaze falls to my feet. I quickly snap my head up when Mrs. Esme clears her throat.

"What did I say about your poster?"

"No l-l-looking down," I mutter.

She smiles. "Good. You've been doing great all day, Kid. I'm sure Edward will be very proud. I know I am."

I tried to hide my grin but I fail.

Mrs. Esme says I shouldn't hide my happiness.

Maybe she's right.

Angela says that the scary patient is coming so I rush to the waiting room, after making sure my clothes aren't wrinkled from the day's activities and my hair looks presentable.

I look out the waiting room's window and watch as a fancy black car parks. A large man gets out of the driver's side and opens the back door.

An older man gets out. He's wearing a dark suit and blue tie. He has dark brown hair and a thick moustache.

"Is th-that him?" I ask Angela.

"Yup, that's Mr. Charles Swan."

I realize I didn't even know his name until now.

Charles Swan? It sounded familiar.

Swan?!

"Is he the r-r-rich man from the b-b-big building down the st-street?"

Angela chuckles. "Yup, that's him. Who would have known that rich people have emotional issues? Oh, he's coming in. I'll be at the front desk!" She scrambles out of the waiting area.

I take a deep breath, rethinking my decision to work here. I ain't smart enough. I can't even talk right. I look and feel funny in these office clothes and shoes. Suddenly my lunch doesn't feel too good in my belly and the itchy material of my blouse digs harder into my skin.

My hands start to tremble and I know I have sweat on my forehead.

I swear my heart moved into my throat.

This is Edward's boss. I don't wanna embarrass Edward if Mr. Swan knows that I know him.

Suddenly the door opens and the big man who was driving enters and holds it open. A few seconds pass, but it seems like a really long time to my nerves.

Then he walks in.

Without even looking at his driver, Mr. Swan waves him away and sits down on one of the couches. The driver exits the room and I know it's time.

It's time for me to go talk to Mr. Swan.

I slowly approach him, take a deep breath, hope to God I don't stutter so bad and say "Hel-hello, Mis-mistah S-S-Swan."

He is very concentrated in the magazine in his hands. He smells nice. The wrinkles on his forehead and his soft brown eyes don't make him look very mean. He looks...sweet.

He scratches his moustache, but doesn't answer.

"Wo-would you l-l-like some coffee?" I ask. My throat is dry and my heart has now moved to my mouth. I really wanna look down at my feet and walk away and hide behind Mrs. Esme. But I remember what she told me earlier.

"_Be brave, Kid. Always look at what scares you in the eye and ask yourself what is making you scared. Remember to think before you act."_

"Who are you and why isn't that dumb girl asking me?" He finally asks. "As smart as Dr. Cullen is, she has a very incompetent child working for her."

Why was he talking about Angela like that?

_I also remember Edward's words._

"That's n-n-not very nice," I say. I'm surprised at how calm my voice is. "You ha-hardly t-t-talk to her to know if she's d-dumb."

He suddenly stops flipping the pages of his magazine and slowly raises his eyes, finally looking at me for the first time.

I curse at myself. Maybe Edward's advice of "fighting back" wasn't exactly good right now.

I swallow saliva and hold my breath as his big brown eyes study me. He sits back on the couch, fixes his tie that is a little crooked and the corners of his mouth turn up. His moustache looks funny as he does that.

He is smiling.

He's smiling at me.

"You sound like my mother," he says and chuckles. "Heck, you even look like her. What's your name, kid?"

"Kid."

"Your name is...Kid?"

I nod.

"Well, Kid," he mutters, emphasizing the beginning of my name. "Do you know who I am?"

"A ve-very important man."

"And yet you decided to lecture me?"

"Y-ye-yes. I'm sorry. If you w-w-wanna tell Mrs...I mean D-D-Dr. Cullen you can. B-b-but I couldn't k-keep my mouth shut. You're v-v-very mean."

_And I'm stupid! _

Once again he doesn't react like I thought he would. I expected him to shout and demand Mrs. Esme to fire me.

Instead he throws his head back and laughs.

"You're a cute kid...Kid. And brave. That's very dangerous, but I like it. People find out that you're rich and they suddenly they lose their balls and decency around you. They forget you're a horrible human being just like them." He sighs and gets more comfortable on the couch.

I think this is what Mrs. Esme was talking about when she said people just wanna talk to someone.

"Kid, why don't you sit down? I'm always Dr. Cullen's last patient, right after the crazy widow that talks too much."

I do as he says and sit next to him. He messes with his tie again, loosening it a bit.

"You know what I want to do, Kid?"

I shake my head.

He rubs his face and sighs. "I wanna go fishing. Have you ever been fishing?"

"No sir."

"It's fun as hell."

For someone so rich, Mr. Swan doesn't talk fancy. I like it. It makes me feel comfortable. He might be rude and little nuts, but I feel that deep down, he must be really nice.

"You wear jeans and drink beer all day. No stupid suits and ties and no fake people being nice to you just because they have to. No meetings about computers and sales. Just your own soul, beer, food and the water."

"It sounds like f-f-fun," I say. It really does. The way his eyes light up and the way his moustache twitches while he tries to hold his smile, convinces me that it is fun.

"It is, Kid. My son loves it too."

"You ha-ha-have a son?" I ask remembering that he had lost a daughter.

"Yes, I do. He's only 11."

Poor little guy. I wonder if he knows that he lost a sister.

* * *

**EEEEEEEEEK! I can't wait to read what you guys think.**

**Also, about Bella/Kid's age. Remember that she "thinks" she's seventeen and when Alice was telling the story to Edward about Maire, it sounds like Marie is eighteen. People don't always get numbers right when gossping. Hehe.**

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**I do leave teasers and answer questions if you have any.**

**Until next time.**

**Chao**

**P.S This chapter will be reviewed by my beta and will be re-posted soon. **


	11. New Girl

**I'm alive!**

**Thanks to all of you for helping NLG reach the 700s in reviews. I truly love all of your words and encouragement. I also love those of you who leave me an essay letting me know everything you think! Those make my day! Love you guys!**

**Sorry for the delay.**

**But here is Kid again. We won't get an Edward POV for a while.**

**Oh and its unbetad -_-**

* * *

Chapter 11- New Girl

"Do you want more ketchup, Kid?" Mrs. Esme asks. We are sitting in her office, eating burgers and fries on her desk. She decided to buy Angela and me burgers after I told her that they are my favorite and how I worked random jobs just to save up and buy one when I lived on the streets.

"No, th-thank you," I say, after swallowing my food of course.

She smiles and continues eating her fries. "It's been a while since I had this for lunch. Sometimes you forget about the simple things in life like having a good burger. Life is busy," she says.

Angela nods and continues eating. I wonder if she'll get caught by Mrs. Esme and get in trouble for reading the patient's files. I wonder if I should tell Mrs. Esme.

I don't wanna betray Angela. She's really nice to me. She even said I was her friend earlier.

Maybe she will stop if I tell her to.

"Has Mr. Swan scared you again?" Mrs. Esme asks.

"No, he is very nice every time we talk."

Angela chokes and Mrs. Esme chuckles. "I knew he would like you."

He does like me. I know he does. He invites me to sit with him every time he comes and waits for Dr. Cullen. He even brought me candy once. He talks a lot about his son and his wife.

Riley is very smart for the age of eleven. He is very outspoken and loves baseball just like his dad. He wants to play it in school. He has brown hair and brown eyes, just like Mr. Swan, but resembles Mrs. Swan in the face.

Mr. Swan showed me a picture of him. He's a very handsome young boy.

Mrs. Swan is very reserved in public but loves to sing and dance at home. Mr. Swan says I can't tell anybody about that. I swear to him I won't say anything. I don't know why, but he chuckles when I promise him this.

I think Edward got tired of me talking about the Swans, so I don't say anything anymore. Besides, I don't have much time to talk to him anyway.

He's always busy on his computer with work while I watch cartoons with Dolly, alone. He promises me that he's going to take me to the theaters to watch the new cartoon movie that keeps coming on the commercials.

But it hasn't happened.

I don't get mad though.

I'll just wait.

I miss him though. I miss his smell on the bed and his warm arms around me. I miss his stories and voice. I feel like I haven't seen him in a while. I don't know what I have to do to make things like they used to be.

I have to figure it out soon.

After lunch I help Mrs. Esme clean her desk and head over to welcome her next patient. The rest of the afternoon continues to be the same until it's time to go.

Edward picks me up.

"How was your day, Kid?" He asks. He's smiling.

Though it's not unusual that he shows joy, there is something different about his smile.

"It was g-g-good," it's all I say and he doesn't pressure me for more.

When we get home, he tells me that we are having dinner tomorrow night at his family's house.

"B-b-but are you s-s-sure that's gonna be okay?"

"Of course it will be. Why wouldn't it?"

"I d-don't know. I'm ju-just a s-s-stranger."

He shakes his head and walks over to the couch where I'm sitting and sits down. He pulls me to him and kisses my forehead. I can feel the goofy grin on my face.

"Kid, you're not a stranger."

"But I'm n-n-not your fam-family either."

"Do we fight?"

"Umm, yes."

"Do we get along?

"Uh-huh."

"Do we help each other?"

I nod.

"Then you're family. Now, wear nice clothes and look extra pretty," he says, kisses my forehead once again and leaves.

He doesn't realize that he has left me grinning and bouncing with excitement on the couch.

A family?

A family of my own?

I mean, I don't know what I am to them. They are not my siblings and Mrs. Esme is not my mom, though I wish she was. I've had a few dreams lately where I have dinner with my parents. I don't ever see my dad's face, but in my dreams, Mrs. Esme says I can call her mom.

Edward now swears that his family is my family. The word even sounds great in my mind. I've always wondered how it would feel like to have one. I wondered how it would feel to know that I have someone so I won't feel lonely anymore.

I guess I don't have to pretend anymore. I don't have to imagine a made up scene anymore.

~NLG~

That night, while Edward sleeps on the couch, I stare at the blurred picture of my mom. I run my fingertips across her face and the baby girl in her arms. I wonder if she would be happy to know I'm not homeless anymore and that I have a family.

Since Edward is family now I should have a picture of him.

~NLG~

I tug at the blouse I'm wearing while Edward drives to his family's house. Alice said I looked "cute" in it and I took that as a good sign and agreed to wear it, but it's very itchy.

Edward didn't comment on my outfit, but I hope he thinks I look good enough for this dinner. He's being quiet again and I don't know if I should worry.

When we get to the house, I try not to act so shocked and overwhelmed at the size of it. I gotta fit in my new family. I doubt they act shocked at the fancy things they own.

Edward says his dad is out of town and won't be around. He says that this is why we are having dinner tonight. I'm kinda disappointed because I wanna meet him, but whatever makes Edward feel more comfortable.

Mrs. Esme greets me with a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. She smells nice and the sweater she wears is soft against my cheek.

Her soft hands caress my face. "You look beautiful, Kid," she says.

I chew on my lip trying to keep myself from making any kind of giddy noise. I just wanna hug her a little longer, but she pulls away to say hello to Edward. Also, I don't want to bother her.

After she hugs and kisses her son, she pulls me into the kitchen and has me try her desserts. She acts a little more free with me in her house compared to the office.

I love it.

She talks about her day and how she loves Saturdays. I listen closely, not missing a word she says. I even ignore Edward's comments and jokes.

I sit up and try to not make a mess for her.

When Alice arrives, she helps her mom start up dinner. They talk about everything and anything. I just sit and listen to them giggle and wish I had something to talk about with them. Maybe with time I will.

She takes out her cell phone and snaps a picture of Edward and me. "I have to start recording these memories," she says and Edward groans.

"Edward, have you given Kid a tour of the house?" she asks him. He's too busy eating his mom's cheesecake to answer.

Alice rolls her eyes, grabs my hand and pulls me out of the kitchen chair. "I'm going to show you around," she says as we walk up the stairs. "This is where Edward and I grew up. Sometimes I stay here just to spend time with my parents."

She shows me all of the rooms, including Edward's childhood room. It's mostly empty. Traces of the boy that played and slept there don't exist.

But when we get to hers', I can almost see a younger Alice spending all her time in her pink room. She pulls me to sit with her on the bed.

"Did you ever have your own room in your foster homes?" she asks.

I shake my head. "No, I wo-would always s-s-sleep on the couch or the f-f-floor somewhere. But the other k-k-kids slept in their beds."

"What other kids?"

"My f-f-foster parents' real kids."

She seems saddened by this. I didn't mean to make her sad. "That must have been tough," she says.

"N-n-not that m-m-much. I n-never had it, so I d-d-didn't miss it, but I wished f-f-for it a lot. You know what I wa-wa-wanted the most?"

"What is it?"

"Did your m-mom tuck you in at n-n-night? And r-read you books?"

Alice softly smiles and nods.

"That m-must have been n-n-nice. I always wanted that. I saw it on TV sh-sho-shows. Sometimes, I would p-p-pretend my m-m-mom was tucking me in at night and have co-conversation with her ima-imaginary image. Isn't t-th-that silly? I was a s-s-silly kid. V-v-very silly." I giggle at myself, but Alice doesn't. She sighs. The look on her face, I don't understand.

"No, Kid, you weren't silly. You were just a…kid. I wish I would have known you then. I don't know. I wish Edward would have found you sooner."

We spend a while looking at her things. I ask her if she can give me a copy of the picture she took of Edward and me. She promises me she will. She offers to paint my finger nails, but when someone rings the door bell, she says we'll do it later.

She says Rosalie, her cousin is home.

"She's my favorite cousin. She's lots of fun," Alice says as we walk down stairs. "She might come off as a bitch, but she's only like that with people she hates, dislikes or doesn't know."

When we finally get downstairs I notice that big guy, Emmett, who had lunch with Edward and me. There is another man with him.

"Jasper!" Alice shouts and hugs him. The blonde man hugs and kisses Alice on the cheek. He glances at me and gives me a quick smile, but turns his attention back to Alice before I can return the smile.

He is very handsome and intimidating in his suit and tie. He looks smart.

Edward is talking to a tall blonde who has her back to me. Mrs. Esme is giggling and talking to them as well while Alice jokes with Jasper and Emmett.

I stand back.

I don't know why, but suddenly with the group of people I feel fear.

I fear. I'm scared.

Edward takes me by the hand and pulls me into his side. It helps calm my nerves, but the groups of eyes staring at me, especially the icy, glaring blue belonging to the tall and beautiful blonde make me want to run. "Who is this, Edward?" Even her voice is beautiful. Suddenly, I'm not only afraid of her, but I don't feel right at Edward's side. I realize that I'm terribly out of place.

"This is Kid, Rose," Edward answers. He smiles down at me.

Rose raises an eyebrow. "Oh, she's the homeless girl you have tagging along," she says.

"Rosalie!" Emmett mutters. He looks at me apologetically.

Edward pulls me tighter into his side.

"I'm just stating the obvious," she mumbles.

"Let's have dinner, shall we?" Mrs. Esme interrupts.

But I have lost all desire for food.

None of the food on my plate looks familiar and the dinner table. Everything is clean, shiny and neat. Edward talks to his family about things I don't know about.

I just poke at my food.

It's good.

But I'm not hungry.

Mrs. Esme is at other end of the long table with Alice and her boyfriend and I miss them. I'm at the other end with Edward, Rosalie and Emmett.

"Edward, I've missed the hell out of you," Rosalie says.

I don't dare look at her in the face.

He chuckles.

"Thanks, cousin."

"You should go out with Emmett, our friends and I. We need to find you a friend," she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

_Why does she feel the need to find Edward another friend?_

"Rose, I…" Edward starts but she cuts him off.

"Nope, no excuses. We all loved Kate, but its time, Edward. You need a healthy relationship." She turns and looks at me. I don't think Edward realizes that she's looking at me. "A normal relationship with a sweet and normal girl," she says seriously.

I feel my stomach twist and my heart speed up as her icy tone echoes in my mind.

Edward smirks, but doesn't answer.

_Is he really considering it?_

I stare at my hands in my lap wishing we could leave.

But they are not my family members and they've missed Edward and he has missed them.

_I have to do something. I have to do something or I'll lose Edward._

The night continues. I don't speak another word. Nobody speaks a word to me either.

I sit on the couch of the living room while everyone else is still in the dining room talking about childhood stories and funny memories I have no idea of.

I told Edward that I wanted to watch TV and he showed me how to turn it on in his family's living room and left.

But I'm not really watching anything nor did I want to.

I just wanted to get away.

On the coffee table there are a few family pictures. A very young Edward and Alice hugging Mrs. Esme with grins on their faces. There is one with a handsome blonde older man hugging Alice and Mrs. Esme and a few from what look like Edward's school days.

I'm stupid.

How did I ever think I could claim them as my family? Why would Edward tell me that if it's not true?

I nervously fidget with my hands.

I hear them laughing and the sound makes me more nervous.

I just wanna go home.

Dolly must be really lonely right now.

~NLG~

"Mom says that she spoke to my dad about you," Edward says as we head home.

I nod.

"She says that he has agreed to give you a check up."

I nod again.

That's really nice of him and really nice of Mrs. Esme for asking.

"You know I can't talk to my dad, so Mom is taking you."

I don't say anything. I just stare at the road ahead. Something in me aches. His sweet voice makes it worst. I fear if I speak, it'll make things worse.

"This is a good thing, Kid. You haven't been to a doctor in years. This will be good. My dad is a great doctor and he'll help you."

"Okay," I finally whisper.

"Um, I also wanted to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Um," he takes a deep breath, "I won't be home tomorrow for most of the day."

"Wh-where you goin?" I ask.

"I, uh, remember that girl, Lauren?"

_Oh no._

"Uh-huh."

"Well I asked her out on a date," he says.

I hold it in.

"A d-d-date? Like b-b-boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Not yet, but I'm taking her out to lunch and a movie."

I was right. My ache has worsened.

"D-d-do you think she's p-p-pretty?" I ask and he chuckles.

"Yes, Kid, I think she's really pretty. She's also been my friend for a long time. We know each other very well. You'll get to meet her too."

I doubt she'd want to meet me.

* * *

**Eeeeek. You're going to start disliking some of Edward's decisions and behavior…but this story is labeled as angst for a reason! You should have known! But remember what I said in my first author's note and don't leave! Puh-lease.**

**Sorry this is a short chapter after such a long wait.**

**But still let me know what you think ;) **

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**Thanks! Love ya bunches! **

**P.S Some of you still feel weird calling her Kid. But soon enough you'll miss it! haha! **


	12. New F F Friend

**Hola everyone! Here we are again. **

**Over 100 reviews for the last chapter! WOW! You guys are amazing. Sorry if I haven't replied, I'm a fail. But know that I read and let every single of your words sink in.**

**Everyone seems to strongly dislike Edward and Esme. Good. **

**Know that I'm no doctor and if I'm wrong, roll your eyes and move along hehe.**

* * *

Chapter 12- New F F Friend

I did okay.

I thought maybe I wouldn't after Edward spent his Sunday with Lauren, leaving me alone in the apartment.

But I was okay.

I spent the day watching cartoons, looking at books and even had a phone conversation with Alice who called at noon to check on me.

I don't know if he felt bad for leaving me alone all day, but Edward brought me new picture books to look at and chocolate cake. Because of this I forgot all about being a little mad at him, though I wish he didn't think of me as a child with these books that he got me. I wish he would teach me how to read already.

It ended being a nice night. We watched a movie on the couch and he even talked about his dad again, who I would meet Monday.

Today is that day and I'm currently in Dr. Carlisle Cullen's waiting room with Mrs. Esme. She's talking to Angela on her cell phone about reschedules and cancellations, insurance issues and spreadsheets.

I have no idea.

I just sit in my chair looking through magazines. I find myself growing frustrated that I don't know what they are about. I'm also a little sleepy and hungry. Edward and I woke up late and didn't eat breakfast.

I'm grumpy, but I try not to show this to Mrs. Esme

I drop the magazine on the coffee table and instead stare at the children sitting with their mom across from us. It's a boy and girl. The girl looks older and a little annoyed by her little brother. I lowly giggle to myself as they huff and puff at each other. The boy seems to hear me and his big blue eyes widened as he realizes I'm staring at him.

He then giggles at me and waves.

I'm so entertained by them that I ignore when the nurse calls my name. Mrs. Esme touches my shoulder to get my attention.

"Well, you're underweight, Isabella," Dr. Carlisle says. He's a handsome man. He's blue eyed, tall, blonde and his smile is very sweet.

The only bad thing is that his hands are cold.

"I eat a lot," I say, making him chuckle. "I l-l-like burgers and soda."

"Yes, those would make you gain weight, but you need to do it in a healthier way." He starts talking about food and vitamins I need to eat in order to gain more weight and maybe have my menstrual period start.

I think that's what it's called.

"I was m-m-much skinnier, Doctor, now m-m-my clothes are tight."

He grins. "That's all very good, Isabella."

He says my real name pretty so I don't correct him.

He runs some tests, talks to me about random things and makes me giggle. I feel silly, but I can't help it. He's funny. He smiles just like Edward, crooked and boyish. But the wrinkles on the side of his eyes give away his age. "E-Eh-Edward says you like to play piano."

He snaps his head up at the mention of his son. His cheeks reddened and smiles sadly at me. "I do. I showed him how to play too."

"That's nice," I say. "He's l-l-lucky."

He just nods, finishes writing on the paper on his clipboard and says his goodbyes.

His son is just like him.

They don't face their problems.

I ain't smart and I notice. They should notice too.

~NLG~

"You're d-d-dad is very sweet," I whisper as Edward flips the channels on the TV.

He shrugs and continues staring at the screen.

"You should t-tah-talk."

He sighs and leaves the TV on a news channel. He must be mad at what I'm saying. He usually flips through the channels, but always leaves it on cartoons for me.

"Kid, please don't."

"I d-don't have a d-d-dad and I've never been mad at one, b-b-but that's just it. You're lucky to ha-have one at all."

He smiles and shakes his head. "How are you so smart, Isabella?"

I roll my eyes.

"I'm not ready for him," he says giving me the same excuse he gives Mrs. Esme and Alice. He can be so stubborn and frustrating at times.

"Whatever," I mutter, but suddenly find myself giggling as Edward attacks me with his stupid tickling.

"S-s-stop, Edward." I gasp for air and he just laughs. "Edward, I'm gonna p-pee!"

I pull at his hair, making him stop.

He sits back, rubs his head and looks a little shocked. "What the heck was that, Kid? You pulled my hair?"

I giggle. "I was doing wh-w-what you told me to do. I f-f-fought back. And you deser-de-deserved it!"

He grins. "Yeah, I did," he agrees and sits back on the couch. He gently pulls me to him and pushes my head onto his shoulder. He smells like his shampoo and the soft material of his t-shirt feels good against my cheek.

I missed this.

He turns up the volume of the TV.

_In breaking news, police in Portland are in the lookout for four individuals who reportedly have brutally beaten several homeless men._

At the word that once described me, my head jumps off Edward's shoulder.

_Witnesses say all beatings were done by the same gang. Their latest victim, a sixty year old man, died this morning due to complications with head injuries. Authorities say that the victim total is five including one death._

Why would anybody want to kill a homeless person? I don't understand. I know bums. We stay out of people's way and mine our own business. Whether that business is looking through garbage cans and or standing at a street corner asking for money. But we never force it. We don't harm anybody.

Of course then there are the crazy assholes that roam the streets wanting to start trouble or want sex, but you just gotta run the other way.

But this gang is doing it for fun?

What if I still lived on the streets? Would they go after me? What if I have to go there again one day?

Before I realize it, Edward is hugging me to his chest and trying to soothe me. I'm letting out sobs I didn't know I was holding in. I'm tightly holding onto his t-shirt and gasping for air.

"Shh, Kid. What's wrong? Why are you freaking out?"

I sob. "Edward! I don't wa-w-wanng go ba-back to the streets. Those p-p-p-p-p," suddenly I can't move from the p to the e to say the word "people."

"P-p-p-p."

"Kid? Stop, take a deep breath," he says moving my hair behind my ears and wiping my face with his palms.

I do as he says and sniff away. "You want some water? Do you want some toast or something?" He grabs the remote and changes it to the cartoon channel. "Lesson learned, the news is bad," he grumbles as he continues to hold me. "Are you sure you don't need water?"

I shake my head, push my head into his neck and wrap my arms around him. "I do-don't wanna go b-back there."

"You're not," he sighs. "Besides, they're in Portland and I already told you that I'll never let you go back there ever again."

"You promise?"

"Hell yes, Kid. Nobody will ever hurt you again." He kisses my head and rubs my back.

An involuntary broken exhale leaves my body as he cradles me closer.

"I could never live with the idea that you're in danger or that someone might hurt you. I know I'm not the best person in the world and I suck at friendship, but damn it, Kid, I'll never leave you alone."

I have to believe every word he says.

I do.

~NLG~

"Holy crap, Mr. Foreman needs to chill with the Zoloft," Angela says as I sweep the office. Its closing time and I'm waiting on Edward to pick me up. Mrs. Esme had to leave early.

I lean on the broom and watch Angela read Mr. Foreman's file. He's a strange man, but always polite. He sometimes looks like he is gonna rub a hole in his neck from his nervousness, but I think he's nice. He likes his coffee all black. I always tell him that's gross, but he just laughs and chugs down the nasty stuff.

"Mah-maybe you s-s-shouldn't r-r-read his file, Ang," I tell her.

She scuffs and raises her eyebrow at me. "Please, Kid, it's not that big of a deal.

She places the file where it's supposed to go, mutters a few words I can't understand and ignores me for a few minutes until the phone rings.

She listens to the person on the other line, agrees with whatever he says and then turns to me.

"Kid, it's Edward," she says and hands me the phone.

I hold it up to my ear. The first thing I hear is a woman's voice.

"Hurry, Edward, we're gonna be late, hon," she says, her high voice irritating me.

"Hello?"

"Kid, how are you?" He asks.

"Okay, b-but when are you gonna c-c-come for me? I've b-b-been waiting," I say. I hope he notices that I am mad.

He's gotta know.

"I know. I know, Kid. I'm really sorry." He sighs into the phone. I can almost see him running a hand through his hair. "This might seem a little messed up of me, but I've asked Angela to pay for a taxi so that you can go home."

I'm furious. I've never felt this way before. Suddenly breathing is a hard task and my ears feel like they are on fire.

"Are you w-w-with that girl?" I ask.

He sighs again. "Yes."

"I d-d-don't need for Angela to p-p-pay for anything. I'll f-f-find a way home," I huff.

"Kid, don't be like this. You don't even know the address. You'll get lost. Just let Angela handle it."

"No."

"Damn it, Isabella, you better do as I say."

I don't respond. I fear that I might call him an asshole which is what I really wanna call him.

"I'll be home in a little while. Be safe."

"Uh-huh."

I earn another annoyed sigh from Edward.

And then the line goes dead.

I turn to Angela who is waiting for me. "I'm le-leaving on mah-my own."

"But Edward..."

I cut her off. "No."

~NLG~

I'm sitting on a street bench, waiting for a taxi or bus to pass. Edward was right, I don't know the address, but I know what the building is called and what the buildings around are.

He forgets that I can be smart.

Speaking of Edward, I am mad at him. Pissed off actually.

But the thing is that I don't even know why. But he's changing a lot on me and I don't like it. My biggest fear is that I don't have any control over it. All I can do is try my best to be on his good side and maybe the phone conversation we just had may not help, but I can't seem to care as I'm still mad.

It's cold outside.

The awful smells of the streets remind me of all the times I slept on them. The cold wind crashing against my cheeks reminds me of all the times I endured harsh lonely and hungry times. Maybe I don't have to be so mad at Edward.

"Hi," an unfamiliar voice says.

I turn and find a boy sitting next to me. He looks to be around my age. His is skin dark, his eyes are almost black, his black hair in a ponytail under a red beanie and his grin shows off his white teeth.

"Hi," I finally respond back.

He nods happily and I have to giggle because he looks silly.

His lips start to move as if he is going to say something, but he suddenly starts to flutter his eyes, foolishly looking jerks his head forward a few times and only noise, no words, comes out of his mouth.

I scoot back a little, not knowing what he's up to.

He takes a deep breath and shakes his head in frustration. "Sorry," he finally says. "I geeeeeet really nervous and s-s-staaaaaaamer." He chuckles to himself. "It's usually naaaah not this bad. Shit, I'm really good. But you're pretty," he says and I can feel the blush on my cheeks.

And it's not because I'm cold.

"You must thaaa-think I'm weird." He seems a little disappointed.

"What? N-n-no! Not at all," I say. For the first time I hope my stutter is obvious. "I s-stutter t-t-too."

He studies my face and glares. "Are you bullshitting me? Look, it's fah fah fucked up if you are."

"I d-d-don't lie. I s-s-stutter!"

His eyes widened in surprise. Then he starts to laugh. Loudly. "That's crazy! Who would have thought I would try to heeeeh hit on a pretty girl who stutters. That's fuckin cool," he says and I laugh with him. "What's your name?"

"Kid."

"Coolness, I'm Jacob, Jacob Black, but my friends call me Jake."

I shake his hand. It's rough and huge. My small and pale hand looks funny in his.

"How old a-are you?"

"I'm sixteen," he answers. "How about you, smalls?"

"Seventeen."

"Cool, I go t-t-to this program ahhhh after school for people with staaah stammers and stuttering. It's very helpful." He hands me a card.

I can't read it, but I don't wanna tell him.

"You should come by and check it out. Everyone is heeel helpful." He begins to struggle again but he manages. "Believe it or not I used to be worse thaaaan than this."

"That's amazing."

We talk for a few minutes about where he lives, when he realized he stammered, what he likes about school and his friends. He laughs at his own jokes, he uses curse words, and talks a lot, but he's a lot of fun.

"Yeah, so are you waiting on a bus?"

I nod.

"Where you headed?

I give him the description of Edward's apartment building and he jumps up.

"I know where thaaaa that is. I got a bike. Want a ride?"

"You can t-t-take me?" He is very nice. He also smells like cinnamon.

"Yeah! Come on!"

~NLG~

During all red lights, Jake asks about me. I don't have much to say. I don't wanna tell him I've been homeless up until now.

I think he notices my hesitance and doesn't press on for more information. He tells me that we should be friends.

When we finally get to the apartment complex, I take off the helmet he let me borrow and hand it back to him.

"Th-thanks, Jake," I tell him.

"No problem, Kid."

As he helps me off the bike, I feel another pair of hands pull me away from Jake.

Suddenly Jake is pushed away, falling against his bike and I hear Edward's angry voice.

"Who the hell are you?" He roars, holding me behind his back while Jake tries to stand up.

I think I'm I'm trouble...or Jacob.

* * *

**Another new character! Remember that everyone in this story has a purpose and will affect the direction.**

**Even Jake.**

**Let me know what you think in a review! We're almost at 1000! You guys are amazing.**

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl for news, discussions and teasers.**

**Gracias! **


	13. Gotta Be Pretty

**EEEEK! 200 reviews from the last update! Blew my mofo mind! You guys are awesome. I appreciate it so much. If I didn't reply, please know that I still read your review and loved it! **

**Time for Kid again…and Edward…and Jacob. **

* * *

Chapter 13-Gotta Be Pretty

_As he helps me off the bike, I feel another pair of hands pull me away from Jake._

_Suddenly Jake is pushed away, falling against his bike and I hear Edward's angry voice._

_"Who the hell are you?" He roars, holding me behind his back while Jake tries to stand up._

_I think I'm trouble...or Jacob._

"What the hell, dude?" Jacob shouts back. He finally regains his balance, dusts himself off and stands up to Edward.

Jake is freakishly tall for a sixteen year old. His face is in Edwards'. I'm pulling Edward's hand to back away before they hurt each other, but he's too strong and doesn't budge.

"I asked you a damn question? Who are you?" Edward asks again.

"I'm Jacob, asshole. And you? I hoooope you kn-know that I'm not scared of you, oooold man."

"Eh-Edward, stop. Let's just g-g-go home," I beg, but he ignores me.

"You're irresponsible," he tells Jacob. "Why the hell did you drive Kid on that bike? It's dangerous. She could have been hurt!"

"Caaaaalm your tits, Eddie," Jake responds with a laugh. He really isn't scared.

I know I am. Edward's piercing green eyes look like they could burn a hole through Jake's face.

"I offered to give Kid here a ride, because the real daaaaanger was her wandering the streets alone just to get hooooome. Where were you?" Jacob talks to Edward as if has known him for a long time.

Edward doesn't respond. His tense shoulders lower along with his head. "That's none of your business, boy. Why don't you just get out of here?" he says, his voice no longer holding any anger. He almost sounds…guilty?

Jake rolls his eyes. He waves at me with a smirk on his lips. "See ya around, Kid, and think about what I told you about that after school program." He gives me one last wink and Edward one last glare before getting on his bike and leaving.

Edward and I walk in silence into the apartment complex. His eyes glued to the floor even in the elevator. I tire of the painful wordless game we have going on.

"Jake j-j-just gave me a ride h-h-home," I say. Still nothing. "You d-d-don't have to be mad, Eh-Edward."

He sighs. "I'm not mad, Kid. I just…you shouldn't give strangers your address or show them where you live. You never know what types of people are out there. You're lucky Jacob was just some stupid kid."

"I'm sorry," I whisper. I look down at my shoes, hiding my face from him. But my moment of escape doesn't last long, because Edward is wrapping his arms around me. He pulls my face into his chest and I can feel his warm lips against my forehead.

"No, I'm sorry. Jacob was right. I should have been there. I should have picked you up from work instead of letting you wander on your own. When I heard how you didn't want to let Angela help you, I got scared and cancelled my date with Lauren." He holds me tighter and I can't help but be glad that he left her to come for me. "I'm not good at this, but I'll make it up to you, Kid. I promise. I'm happy you're okay," he says softly.

He rubs circles on my back until we get to our floor.

Edward makes a big dinner. He says I deserve the best meal tonight. He tells me how we are having lunch with Mrs. Esme tomorrow because she has a surprise for me. I get excited, but try not to bounce in my chair.

He doesn't let me clean up and washes everything on his own. I think I like this Edward.

I stay in the kitchen as he cleans.

He's wearing one of those basketball jerseys he wears to bed. I can't help but stare at his bare arms. The way he flexes them as he picks things up and wipes the table and the hairs on them have me dizzy.

My cheeks feel warm.

I don't know what's happening.

"So, Isabella, tell me what you like the most about living with me," he says, pulling me out of my weird thoughts.

"Everything," I whisper.

"Really? You even like the mess I make?"

"Well…"

He laughs. "You wanna know what I like about you staying with me?" He asks as he sits next to me. Once again I'm staring at his arms.

I shake my head.

"You're the best company. We keep each other from feeling lonely."

I smile and nod.

"Alice said for me to give you this," he says as he hands me what looks like paper.

As soon as my fingers feel it, I realize it's a picture. It's the picture of Edward and me at his parent's house.

Edward is smirking at the camera while I shyly smile at it.

"We're family now, so you now have a picture of us. You can keep it next the one of your mom. We'll take some with Alice, Mom and soon enough you'll have a family album."

I can feel my bottom lip in between my teeth, my heart racing, and my eyes sting. I don't think about my actions or even care. I stand up, kiss Edward's cheek and wrap my arms around him, as I bury my face into the crook of his neck.

"Th-thank you, Eh-Edward! Thank you," I cry.

I hear him chuckle, the vibrations tickling my face. His large hands hold my back as I sit on his lap.

"I'll d-d-do better, Eh-Edward," I whisper. "I p-p-promise."

"Kid, what are you tal…"

"I'll do b-b-better and you wo-won't ever get m-m-mad at me."

"Okay, Kid. Whatever you say," he says with another chuckle.

"Never g-g-get mad at me, okay?"

"I won't. I promise."

~NLG~

"Is your chicken good?" Mrs. Esme asks me. Edward and I are having lunch with her at a diner. Edward said it was his favorite place and I had to eat here.

I smile at her and nod. She and Edward have been talking about family members I don't know, so I've been concentrating on my chicken.

"Kid, I want to show you our surprise now," she says.

I quickly clean my greasy hands with napkins and sit up. I've been wondering what the surprise is since Edward told me yesterday and it's been hard to keep from begging for them to show me what it is already. I promised to be good, but it's hard sometimes.

Mrs. Esme smiles as she realizes my excitement. My bouncing maybe gave it away. She pulls out a booklet from her purse, places it on the table and slides it towards me.

I stare at the kids smiling and the big red letters and wonder what kind of surprise this is.

"Now, I know you can't read that, but that's the surprise," Edward says.

I look up to him in confusion. His green eyes shine with joy and I can't wait any longer for them to explain.

"W-wha-what is it?" I ask, holding the booklet tightly in my hands.

"It's the Literacy Center, Kid. I've scheduled you to start their learning program next month. They are going to help you learn to read and write."

I'm listening to every word Mrs. Esme is saying and replaying it over and over again in my mind. The booklet is now shaking in my hands and my eyes are blurry.

"Really?" I ask, releasing a shaky breath.

"Yeah, Kid. Do you like your surprise?" Edward asks, softly caressing my cheek with the tips of his fingers.

"I lo-l-love it. Can I k-k-keep this?" I ask, pulling the booklet into my chest.

Edward chuckles and wipes away my tears. "You can keep whatever you want, Kid."

I stand up, hug Mrs. Esme and thank her. She laughs and assures me that I have nothing to thank her for. It was Edward who begged her to help him find a place.

I hug him too.

"Now, Isabella, you gotta know a few things," he says.

I sit back down and nod, letting me know I'm ready to listen.

"There are going to be a lot of young kids there, maybe younger than you. I don't want you to feel bad. The ones around your age have learning disabilities, so if you hear that, don't think you're disabled or have what they have," he says.

"Edward, calm down," Mrs. Esme mutters. "There is nothing horrendous about having a learning disability, nor is it contagious."

"Yes, but Kid doesn't have one. She just didn't get a chance to learn and I hear some ADHD kids are violent."

"You're going to scare Kid before she makes it inside the building."

"I d-d-don't care," I say. "I wanna learn."

Mrs. Esme claps and laughs. "I love hearing that. This school is the best in the city. They are going to help you."

"Yeah, but if anybody gives you shit, you let me know, Kid," Edward says and I giggle as Mrs. Esme rolls her eyes.

"I can't wa-w-wait."

_I can tell Jacob I'm gonna learn now and maybe I can go to that school of his too._

~NLG~

I haven't slept at all.

I'm too excited. I wish it was next month already.

I try to busy myself by cleaning at work.

But I can't stop smiling about it.

I'm gonna finally be smart.

Maybe smart enough for Edward.

"Kid?" Angela asks as I clean the office. "There is a Jacob Black outside asking for you."

I jump in surprise. I put away my cleaning supply and head outside.

"Boyfriend?" Angela asks as I pass her, but I don't answer.

I open the doors and find a smiling Jake standing at the bottom of the steps. It's warm outside so his long black hair is no longer hidden with a beanie and the thin t-shirt he is wearing shows off how huge he is.

"What it do, Smalls?" He says, waving at me.

"Jake, how d-d-did you know I worked here?"

He starts to stumble with his words. He rolls his eyes at himself, sighs and tries again. "Caaaaalm down, Smalls, I'm not a weird staaaalker. I swear. I was riding my bike this morning and saaaaw that Eddie dropped you off here."

"Oh, okay."

He grins. "That Angela chick sure is quick to gossip. She toooold me you're on your lunch break now. Waaa-wa-waa," he stops and tries again. "Wanna come to the park with me? Grab some shitty hotdog somewhere?"

"Sure," I say and jog down the steps to join him.

~NLG~

"Holy shit!" He screams. I look around, a few people are staring and I giggle. "Holy shit!"

"What?"

"Holy shit, Smalls!"

I giggle again. "My name is Kid!"

"I can't believe you used to be homeless! That's craa, craaazy and bullshit. Why would anybody not waa-waant you around? You're cool."

"Thanks I gu-guess."

"Well I guess Eddie isn't so baa-bad. I still think he's a douche." He takes a bite of his third hotdog. No wonder this guy is so big. "I don't have a mom."

"Oh, I'm s-s-sorry."

"She died of diabetes. But my dad is cool."

We talk for a few minutes about his family, friends and his love for bikes. By the way he talks and expresses his feelings, I can feel how much younger he is then Edward. The difference is so obvious. I suddenly feel myself missing that boy. I like Jacob, but somehow I begin to think of that redheaded and handsome man.

I wonder if this is what he feels with me. Does he feel that I'm just a kid? Does he think I'm too young?

I don't think I like that.

Jacob says he's gonna go buy us some sodas and that he'll be right back. I just nod and sit alone with my thoughts.

"Why is that every time I bump into you, you're at a park?"

I look up to find Jessica smiling at me.

She looks tired. Her hair is in a messy bun and there is a purple bruise around her right eye. I jump to my feet and hug her. She doesn't smell very good, but I don't care.

"Jessica!"

She chuckles. "Hey, Kid. I don't remember you being into hugs."

I pull away. "What ha-ha-happened to your eye?"

"Don't worry about it, Kid. It happened a long time ago. The bruise is just taking forever to fuck off."

"Wanna sit d-d-down with me? My friend Ja-Jacob is bringing me a s-s-soda, but you can have it if you want."

Jessica sits next to me. She rubs her face. "I'm so damn tired," she complains. "You look great, Kid. You ain't scrawny and dirty anymore. You're actually really cute now. Food and baths are good for ya."

I blush.

"Are you st-s-still doing…"

"Kid, don't ask that."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. It's just that I don't particularly like talking about it. How's Ed?"

"He's g-g-good."

"Is he still letting you stay?"

I nod.

"And he hasn't tried to take advantage of you? Tell me, Kid, and I'll go kick him in that fucking pretty face of his."

"No! He hasn't."

"Good. I hate fucking men like that. I'm glad Ed isn't. You deserved to have someone good take you in."

"You t-t-too, Jessica. You're a g-g-good person."

Jessica shakes her head. "I have no salvation, Kid. But you, you're a damn angel. Edward should always take care of you."

"I'm sc-scared, Jess."

"Of what?"

"That he w-wo-won't want me a-a-around much longer. I don't w-w-wanna annoy him. I want him to…" I stop myself. I look right into Jessica's sad, blue eyes. "I wa-wa-want him to love me," I whisper.

She gives me a smile.

"What s-s-should I do?"

"Oh, Kid, I wouldn't know. That's not what I want or do with men. I don't love them and they don't love me. I wouldn't be able to give you advice for that."

"Please?"

"Shit, umm, well I don't know…" She pushes some of the hair that escaped her bun away from her face. "Look pretty. Yeah, that. Look pretty and uh, um, be smart. I think men like that. Look pretty, Kid."

_Look pretty? That's it?_

"Kid, after you get smart and pretty and he still pushes you away, I want you to stand up for yourself. Push him back. Don't ever let a man make you feel worthless." Jessica says her last few words with anger in her voice.

I see Jacob hesitantly walking towards us.

I don't wanna be a young kid anymore.

I wanna be smart and pretty.

A smart and pretty woman.

* * *

**Ummm what do you think all of this means for Kid? **

**Leave me some love.**

**We will have a few, and I do mean "few," more chapters until we reach a climax of the story. I predict this story to be 30 chapters long and we are at number 13. **

**Don't know why I wanted to share that with you hehehe**

**Also, the literacy center was totally made up, but from my research there is a place like it in Seattle…according to Google.**

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl for news, discussions and teasers.**


	14. Party

**Have I told you guys how much I appreciate your reviews and love? Well I do! So effing much! You guys provide such great motivation for this procrastinating writer ;) **

**Anywho, here is Kid.**

* * *

Chapter 14- Party

"Kate? Was she s-s-smart?" I whisper. I'm embarrassed for asking. But my curiosity is heavy on my mind.

"Yes, very. She was going to college with me," he answers without hesitation. "She was always a better student."

"Hmm. And was she p-p-pretty?"

"She was beautiful. She had long blonde hair, big blue eyes and the best smile."

"Wh-what did you lo-l-love most about her?"

Edward finally looks away from his book and right into my eyes. He searches for something in them. He finally gives up and places his book down with a light sigh.

"Why are you asking, Kid?" He asks with a smile on his lips. He scoots over, closes the space between us and gently runs his finger tips across my cheek. "What do you wanna know? I feel like you're really asking me for something else."

The touch of his finger tips to my skin momentarily causes me to goose bump and not answer him. I smile at his beautiful and patient face.

"I j-j-just wanna know."

"Really?"

"Yes. You n-never talk about her."

"Well," he starts. He takes a deep breath and leaves an arm over my shoulders. "She was very smart and beautiful like we've established already. She was elegant and gracious. She never cursed or fumbled with her thoughts. She always knew. She came from a very good family. She looked like her father and mother, but she mostly acted like her mom. I don't talk to them anymore. I think I remind them of her somehow. Anyway, she had plans to be a doctor. She wanted to save people. What I loved most about her is that she knew who she was and was determined in whatever she was doing. She never cared about the negatives."

Edward stops talking and stares at the floor in a strange silence.

He's thinking about her.

He probably misses her.

He hasn't let her go.

I sit still, thinking that I have a lot of work to do.

I'm not any of the things she was.

"I wa-wanna be smart, Edward," I tell him. "I wanna be like n-n-normal people and not s-s-stutter." I look down at my lap.

The stripes on my pajama pants appear to move if I stare at them for too long, but instead of turning away I let my eyes lose themselves in the black and white lines.

I suddenly feel his lips against my head. I start picking at a hole I found in one of the white stripes. My pale skin, which is viewable through it, almost matches the stripe.

"Oh, Kid. Nobody is normal," he says. "You're a special girl. You're gonna go to school, learn and rule the world."

"I am?"

"Yes. Your big heart will lead the way."

"Ar-are you g-g-gonna come with me?"

He chuckles. "Sure, Kid. I'll follow you wherever you want to go."

~NLG~

"Now say it slower. Take a deep breath, relax, don't move and if you feel like you're gonna stumble, stop and gather yourself."

"Okay."

"Go!"

I take a deep breath. "The boy went to the s…"I stop. I can feel my tongue as it starts to stick to the roof of my mouth, imprisoning my next letter. It doesn't wanna let it go. If I fight it, I'll stutter. I don't know how to set it free without a fight. "I can't d-d-do it! Just g-g-give me the piece of cake!"

"No, Kid. You're going to say this sentence without stammering," Edward says pulling the plate holding the damn piece of cake I want a little further away.

After dinner, he thought it would be great to practice my speech. He spent twenty minutes looking up speech exercises on his phone.

"Ass."

He chuckles. "That's a start. Come on. Go!"

Okay. I'm not supposed to move a lot. I can't move my face, only my lips. I stare at Edward. I take a deep breath and relax. "The boy went to the store and…" Damn tongue. I breathe. "And bought milk."

"Fuck yes!" Edward cheers. He lifts me up, wrapping me in his big arms and spins me around. I laugh hard against his shoulder as he continues to cheer. I hang on to his t-shirt for dear life. "I knew you could do it! Soon we'll get you sounding all smooth and shit! Yes!"

"You're s-s-silly!"

"Who cares?"

"I d-don't know!"

He laughs and slowly lets my feet hit the floor. My body is pressed against his. He smells nice. He's warm and strong. I just wanna stay like this.

With him.

He just smiles at me, kisses my forehead and releases a warm breath.

"Good job, Kid. I'm so proud of you." He steps back, reaches over to the kitchen counter and grabs the plate of cake and two forks. "Let's dig in!"

We finish the cake and two big glasses of milk.

As I lick the chocolate off my fingers I hear Edward lowly chuckle.

"What?"

"You have chocolate and milk all around your mouth. You look silly."

"Your face looks s-s-silly all the t-t-time," I tell him. He laughs as he grabs a handful of napkins and gently starts to wipe my face. "I'm not a b-b-baby and you don't ha-have to grab so m-m-many napkins. Your face is b-b-big, not mine."

"Shut it, Kid."

I stick my tongue out at him, but he ignores me.

"Tomorrow night, we're going to a party."

"A par-party?"

"Yes. Alice is announcing her engagement to her friends and family."

"Enga-en-enga…"

"She's going to marry Jasper and she's going to tell people about it."

"That b-blonde man?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that's g-g-great!"

"It is."

"So I'm co-coming too?"

"Duh, Kid."

"Oh," is all I say and I grin so big it hurts.

~NLG~

"You look beautiful!" Alice squeals. She called Edward in the morning and told him she was going to dress me up for the party. I told her she didn't have to since she was the one decorating, but she insisted she didn't mind.

"Really?"

"Yes! You've really gained some good weight. You look healthy and beautiful."

I blush and bite my bottom lip to keep from giggling.

My yellow dress is pretty. I've never worn a dress. Alice helped me shave my legs. I almost cried at the thought of it hurting, but it wasn't that bad.

She curled my hair and put some cream and powder on my face and this shiny stuff on my lips. My face feels weird, but she says I look pretty so it's okay.

"Come on. Let's see what Edward thinks." She pulls me out of the restroom and into the living room where he is sitting on the couch.

"Are you girls ready?" He shouts over his shoulder.

"Yes. Edward look how pretty Kid is!"

Edward turns and looks at me. I suddenly wanna hide behind Alice, but his wide eyes and smile tell me its okay.

"Wow," he whispers. "You look great, Kid. I'm gonna have to start calling you Lady instead."

Alice giggles and maybe I do too.

He kisses my cheek, calls me "gorgeous" and leads me out the door.

~NLG~

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"I th-think mah-my birthday is next m-m-month."

We reach a red light. His face lights up as he turns to me.

"Really?" He asks excitedly.

"Well, I th-th-think so. Tha-th-that's what Maria told me once."

"Maria?"

"Ye-yeah. You know? The girl I t-t-told you about. That hel-helped me r-r-run away from my foster home."

"Oh, of course. But how did she know?"

"I used to ha-have my b-b-birth certificate. She read it t-t-to me. I had it in a b-b-backpack I carried around. She took it one d-d-day to rob a store. She was gonna put s-s-stuff in it, but g-g-got caught. I never saw her since then and s-s-so I lost my certificate."

"What? That's crazy, Kid! You realize if we find this Maria chick and if she still has it, we could probably find out your real name and maybe even your parents?"

"She told me th-that she couldn't f-f-find my parents' names on it."

"Hmm, we could probably still use it to find them."

"I wo-wonder w-where sh-she could be."

~NLG~

The party is nice.

Mrs. Esme made me sit with her for dinner with Edward across from me. She wanted to make sure I ate.

Alice sat on her other side with Jasper.

Jasper is somewhat quiet, but he is nice to me and even asked me questions and made jokes. He made a lot of fun of Edward who just rolled his eyes.

I thought maybe dinner was it, but Mrs. Esme said that the rest of the guests were going to arrive later for a party in the back yard.

Edward sat with me outside as the guests started to arrive and shared stories of when he was a little boy. He pointed at people and told me who they were.

But when Mr. Cullen arrived with a gift in his hands; Edward took one good and long look at him, stood up and told me he would find me later for me to go sit with Alice and her friends. He took me by the hand and sat with me next to them.

He walked away.

He walked away from Mr. Cullen.

Alice tried to include me in her conversation, but I could tell she was more excited to have her friends with her to talk about the wedding and the honeymoon.

Rosalie was the loudest of all the girls. She kept making jokes about sex and about things Alice should try during her honeymoon. The girls giggled while I just smiled to fit in. I didn't know what they were talking about. Sex had never been a fun thing from what I had heard.

My friend Jessica for example.

I really wish Edward hadn't left me with them.

I decided to walk around. The rest other guests didn't pay attention at me as I wandered through the backyard.

I found Mrs. Esme and Mr. Cullen talking behind in the garden. They discussed how he should try and talk to Edward. But he didn't want to push his son.

They are both silly.

Edward and Mr. Cullen are very silly. They waste so much time.

I'm now sitting by some kids. They are running around me and asking me to run with them. I don't wanna get in trouble so I tell them no, but I stay because they make me laugh. I tell the little girl she has a pretty dress and she tells me the same.

She plays with the boys until one of them pulls her hair after she pushes him. She starts to cry. A lady walks over and roughly takes the boy away by the hand, telling him that he's been bad.

I feel bad for him.

I continue sitting with the rest of the kids.

I hear a familiar laughter.

There he is.

Edward is walking to the drink table with Lauren on his arm. Her blonde hair is curled and the dress she is wearing looks expensive.

She's pretty.

She's pretty and stupid.

I hate her.

I don't like the way her fingers are wrapped around his bicep and I don't like the way she keeps making him laugh. The way his green eyes twinkle makes me mad.

"Do you like cotton candy?" The boy asks me.

I nod. I'm too mad to use words.

"My sister says you talk funny."

"I do."

"Why?"

"I d-d-d-don't know."

"Doesn't your mom take you to school? My mom makes me go. She says it makes me smart, but I don't like it."

I just nod and continue staring at Edward and Lauren.

"Are you a kid? Or are you a grown up?"

I stare at the talkative little boy. His innocent blue eyes wait for me to answer him.

"I th-t-think I'm a grown up. Wh-where is your m-mom?"

He points at a lady laughing with Rosalie and Alice.

"Is she n-n-nice?"

He nods.

"That's g-g-good. I'm g-gonna get a drink." He doesn't answer and continues playing with the rest of the kids as I head over to Lauren and Edward who are serving themselves punch.

"Well you should come!"I hear her say. "It'll be fun. You need a vacation. Just ask for those days off. We'll drink and part in Vegas."

"I don't know," Edward says, rubbing his neck. "I just can't get up and leave right now."

"Why?" She asks, just as I get there.

"Hey, Kid!" Edward says. He smiles and pulls me to his side. "I was looking for you. Do you remember Lauren?"

Lauren half smiles at me.

I just nod.

"Edward?" Another voice says. We turn and find Jasper walking towards us. "Dude, come help me with these damn bottles," he says.

Edward kisses me on the temple and tells Lauren that he'll be right back. I turn to the punch and start serving myself.

"Lauren, what are you doing?" A woman asks. She's blonde, tall and beautiful just like her friend.

"I'm talking to this little girl, Irina," Lauren says and stands a little closer to me. "How does it feel?"

"What?" I ask, not looking at her in the face.

"You know Edward is very young. He has a long life ahead of him, but he needs to start living it soon and he can't. You know why?"

I shake my head.

"Because he's got you living with him. How does it feel knowing that?"

I nervously take sip of my punch. The cold red liquid slides down my throat as she continues.

"I don't know, but maybe you should start thinking about him and his needs. He can't even go on a road trip with his friends because he has a teenage child he has to worry about."

"Why a-ar-are you so mean?" I ask.

"Oh, honey, I'm not being mean. I'm just being honest. Don't you think you're being selfish?"

"I'm n-n-not bad. I do g-g-good."

"I'm sure. You're so considerate. I'm so sure a little street rat like you doesn't give him any problems."

_Fight back._

I take a deep breath and squeeze my mouth shut. I look down at the red punch. It moves around the cup, reddening the inside of it.

The next thing I know is that Lauren is covered in red punch from head to toe.

She screams a few times and bounces on her feet.

Suddenly a cold and heavy silence surrounds us. People are staring as Lauren gasps and in complete shock, finally just stands in place.

Irina grabs some napkins and tries to dry the red liquid off her stupid friend.

Lauren starts to cry and now I know I screwed up.

I look around for Edward, but don't have to look for long.

I find him staring at me with not only shock, but anger.

His green eyes are furious and his jaw is clenched.

He starts marching towards us.

This is when I realize that his angry green eyes are looking right at me.

He's marching straight towards me.

He's mad at me.

He's furious.

* * *

**Umm, oops?**

**So we are getting closer.**

**Closer to what you ask? Continue reading baha!**

**Thanks for everyone who has pimped my story. It's cool to be scrolling around in Twitter and see people talking about NLG. I grin and maybe dance a little. **

**A shout out to Cris (Wisp author) and anhanninen (Fatherhood, Formula and Other F Word author) for pimping my lil story in their A/N. I got so many new readers because of them and the rest of you too!**

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 (I tweet random shiz) and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl for news, discussions and teasers. **

**Go! **

**Adios and hugs for Kid all around. **


	15. Broken Luck

**Hola! Here is my random Wednesday update!**

* * *

Chapter 15- Broken Luck

_His green eyes are furious and his jaw is clenched._

_He starts marching towards us._

_This is when I realize that his angry green eyes are looking right at me._

_He's marching straight towards me._

_He's mad at me._

_He's furious. _

Before I know it, Edward is pulling me to him by the arm and away from Lauren.

It reminds me of Mrs. Porter, my first foster mom. Every time I didn't do good or she was mad she would roughly grab me by the arm and pull me around until she was tired of taking her anger out on me.

But Edward doesn't smell like cigarettes and sweat like she did.

"Kid!" He angrily whispers at me. His face is inches away from mine. His green eyes are so angry that I have to look down at my shoes. "Why did you do that? Do you see how upset Lauren is?"

I look over at Lauren. She is wiping her face and hair, but she keeps crying so there is no use. I nervously start to fidget with my hands.

"I can't believe you would do something like this, Kid! What happened? Talk to me," he insists.

I don't say anything. I don't wanna tell him what she said. He would probably agree with her and get rid of me. He would probably realize that I am only in his way like Lauren said.

Edward realizes that I am not going to say anything and lets out a frustrated breath. "Well since you're silent, you're guilty, Kid," he says and starts pulling me back towards Lauren.

"W-wh-where are we g-g-going?" I ask nervously.

"You're going to apologize to Lauren, Kid."

I start to pull away. Trying to stop him, I pull at his shirt and slap his hands away from my arm, but he doesn't budge. I can feel my eyes sting and I don't wanna. I don't wanna cry, but I also don't wanna face her or apologize to her.

He can't make me.

"Puh-p-please, Eh-Edward. I don't wanna," I cry.

But it's no use.

"It doesn't matter, Kid. You have to learn to control yourself and act like an adult. It seems I have failed to help you do that and this is me helping you now."

We finally reach Lauren who is with her friend Irina. She glares at me as Edward pulls me in front of him. He stands behind me with his hands holding me still.

"Lauren, Kid would like to apologize for what she did," he says. Lauren stands straight and stares at me, waiting for an apology she feels she is owed. But I won't budge. "Go on, Kid. Tell Lauren you're sorry for throwing punch on her," he says calmly.

I look around and notice a few people staring, including Rosalie and Alice. I start to cry and try to pull out of his grasp.

I won't do it. I won't say I'm sorry.

I'm embarrassed.

I finally manage to turn around and shove him away by pushing on his hard chest. "L-le-let me go!" I shout.

He takes hold of my hand and asks me to calm down, but I continue to struggle with him.

"It wasn't her fault, Edward," I hear another person say. I turn to face Irina. She looks at her friend with an apologetic face. "I'm sorry, Lauren, but what you said to this girl was pretty rough and rude," she says. She gives me a forced smile. "Edward, this girl was only defending herself. Lauren said something really nasty to her and she shouldn't have. I think Lauren is the one that should apologize."

Edward finally let's go of my hand.

"Are you fucking nuts?" Lauren angrily whispers at Irina.

"Kid, I…" Edward tries, his voice is soft now, but I'm still shaking and embarrassed as I see Mrs. Esme rushing to us. Instead of listening to him or her I run.

I run so fast towards the exit, but I can hear him running after me.

"Kid! Wait! Please wait for me!"

I ignore him and continue running. I reach the house's gates, completely out of breath and try to leave, but I can't open them. I cry in frustration. I angrily slap the metal bars and ignore the shot of pain that runs up through my hands and up my arms. I don't know what I'm doing anymore.

"Kid, please hear me out." He's finally caught up to me, but I don't dare face him. I feel him stand behind me. "Kid? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I just…I just didn't know what to think and I didn't know how else to handle it. I'm stupid. I don't know what to do with you sometimes. But you should have told me what she had said. I would have defended you," he says and gently places a hand over my shoulder and turns me towards him.

But I don't look at him in the face. I stare at the little hairs from his chest as the first few buttons of his shirt have come undone.

"Please, forgive me. I should have waited for you to be ready to tell me. I was so mad and I shouldn't have been."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why d-d-did you treat me…why d-d-did you treat me that way?"

"I…shit…I."

"Am I a k-k-kid to you?"

He pulls me into his chest and wraps his arms around me.

"Of course. You'll always be Kid to me," he whispers into my hair and I begin to cry again. He kisses my head. "You're like a little sister to me and I will always take care of you."

He doesn't understand my tears. He doesn't understand that is not what I want.

"No," I whimper into his chest, but I know that he doesn't hear me and nothing hurts more.

~NLG~

"Kid?" I hear Edward from the living room. "Alice is on the phone, she wants to talk to you." He hands me the phone and I take it.

I've been napping all day.

I spent all of last night crying into my pillow so he wouldn't hear me. He made me breakfast and acted extra sweet with me, but I said nothing.

I think I'm mad at him.

He smiles at me as my fingers brush his hand.

"Hello?" I say into the phone. My voice sounds a little shak. It's the first time I've spoken all day since crying my eyes out last night.

Alice asks if I'm doing okay and that Mrs. Esme is worried and won't stop asking about me. I tell her I'm fine and that I'm sorry for ruining her party. She says it wasn't ruined and that she is glad I'm okay. I ask her if she can take me to Mrs. Esme's house.

I wanna be away for a little while.

But Alice says that she can't.

She's busy with wedding plans.

The next day, I also spend it in bed. I can't wait until tomorrow so I can spend my time cleaning Mrs. Esme's office instead of avoiding Edward.

There is a knock at the door, but I let Edward answer it.

"Hey, cousin!" I hear that icy voice and I know who it is right away.

It's Rosalie.

"Hey, Rose," Edward welcomes her in.

I quickly get up and sneak closer to listen to them.

"Where's your child?"

"Rose, be nice. Her name is Kid."

"More like Juvenile Delinquent."

"Rose, if you came here to insult her, I suggest you leave. I don't want to hear it," Edward warns her, but she just laughs.

"What is with you and that girl? What has you so attached to her? You dumped Lauren for her!"

He dumped her?

I start to smile but remind myself that I'm mad at him.

"I didn't dump her. I asked her to give us some space and a break. I just can't make a relationship work right now. What she told Kid…"

"Which you don't even know is true. Irina has always been a drama queen."

"Regardless, Rose, she told Kid something that made her that upset. I can't be with someone like that."

"Oh, god, would you listen to yourself? You sound like a single father. 'If I'm going to date they have to accept her too.' Is that what you want to say?"

"Well it might as well be that way."

"What? That's ridiculous! That little brat got what she wanted and it's not fair," she says.

I worry about what she is saying. I don't want her convincing him of anything.

"What do you mean?" He asks. He sounds confused.

"That little brat has a crush on you and doesn't want you dating anybody so she ruined your new relationship with Lauren."

"That's stupid. Kid doesn't see me that way. She's too innocent."

Rosalie laughs again. "She's still a hormonal teenager, Ed. You're too young to be taking care of her. She's not your responsibility. You should help yourself and give her to the state. They'll know what to do with her."

"You say that as if she's an object."

"Stop arguing with me. Hand her over to the state and get her off your hands."

Edward groans. "I just can't get rid of her. I owe her my life."

She snorts and I really wanna hit her and tell her to go away.

"Besides, she'll be eighteen next month and she's become like family."

"Yes, but family can be a burden too, Ed. I say get rid of her and live your life. Don't let anymore time pass. You already let two years go to waste. By the time you realize it, you'll be old and bitter. You'll be mad at that kid for taking up your time."

~NLG~

I spend all morning cleaning every corner of Mrs. Esme's office and waiting room. She says she can't do lunch, so I head out by myself. She pays me good money so I can afford it now. Unlike when I lived on the streets and I had to stretch my bills to make 'em last.

I treat myself to a few slices of pizza and a soda.

I feel bad. I should have asked Angela if she wanted anything or Mrs. Esme. I put the left over slices in a box and head back to work.

When I get there, the office is strangely silent. Angela is usually talking on the phone to a patient or on her cell phone, but she's not even at her desk. I place the box of pizza in the back and look for Mrs. Esme.

I find her at her desk. She has her hands shoved into her hair and is looking down at papers. She looks stressed.

"Dr. Cullen? I b-b-brought you pizza," I tell her, as I approach her.

She sighs and finally looks at me. Her eyes are watery and red and I suddenly feel like I have something to do with it.

"Why didn't you tell me, Kid?"

I don't understand, so I don't respond.

"Wh-where is An-Angela?"

"I received a complaint, Kid."

"Wh-what's that?"

"It means someone complained that I released their personal information to someone outside this office," she says and stands up. She looks tired. I don't know what to do or say. "Angela is no longer with us. She has been fired. She released information about a distant relative to another relative and everything just blew up."

She walks over to me. "Why didn't you tell me, Kid? She said you knew! She said you knew everything she did and that you didn't say anything."

"I…I, um." I can't say anything.

Suddenly the pizza I had for lunch doesn't feel too good in my belly. I place a hand over it in hopes to make the pain go away.

But it doesn't work.

"I'm so disappointed in you, Kid. Go home." The look in her eyes confirms it and my heart races. I wanna tell her that I'm sorry so badly and that she's right. I should have told her and it's my fault, but the letters, sounds and feelings are too heavy to leave my lips. It almost feels as if I've swallowed my tongue.

I wanna reach out to her and hang on until she tells me that she doesn't hate me. I want her to assure me that she'll eventually forgive me.

"B-b-but…" I try, but she isn't having it. She raises her hand up and silences me.

"No, Kid, go home. I'm closing for the day. I'm too upset with you right now and with the situation. I need to clear my mind. Please leave my office, honey."

She heads back to her desk and shoves her hands back into her hair.

I rush out before the tears in my eyes escape. I leave the pizza just in case she gets hungry. I take a taxi home. The driver fortunately gets my directions and doesn't ask why I'm whimpering and crying in the backseat.

What am I doing?

Why is everything been going bad lately?

Was it something I did?

Things were supposed to get better. I was supposed to do better. I promised. I don't know.

I don't.

Is my good luck finally running out?

_~NLG~_

"_Isabella!" Mr. Porter shouts._

_I jump at the loud sound. I try to put on my shoes on as fast as I can. He gets mad if I don't hurry. "Isabella what the hell is taking you so long?"_

_When I finally reach the small, dirty kitchen, I find Mrs. and Mr. Porter sitting at the table. Mr. Porter hands me a crumpled ten dollar bill._

"_Isabella, you've been good lately," Mrs. Porter says. "If you don't manage to piss me off for the rest of this week, you'll get to keep this money, you hear, kid?"_

_I quickly and excitedly nod and stare at the bill. It smells like cigarettes, probably from being in her pocket so long. My hands tremble with excitement._

"_You screw up one time and you'll have to hand it back over to me. It'll mean you didn't deserve it and it wasn't yours to begin with. Don't make me mad."_

"_I wo-wo-won't "_

"_And for fucksake, will you talk right?" Mr. Porter shouts._

_I nod. _

_Because if I talk, he won't like it. _

_I was so good that week. I stayed to myself and when Henry, the big kid whose parents were in jail, pushed me, I let him._

_When Saturday came, Mrs. Porter said I could keep the ten dollars. I was so excited that I ran to the gas station at the corner of the street and bought a bunch of candy and ate it all with my dirty hands while I sat on the sidewalk. If I went home with so much candy, Henry and the other kids would take it all away from me._

_I didn't sleep all night. _

_I had a bad tummy ache. Mrs. Porter said she couldn't help me and my bad luck. She said I would feel better eventually and for me to leave her alone. _

_I cried because it wouldn't go away._

_It wouldn't go away._

_I shouldn't have eaten all that candy by myself._

_It felt like it would never feel better._

~NLG~

When I got home, Edward was nowhere to be found. I ate leftovers from the night before and decided that a shower would make me feel better.

As I stare at the soapy water escape through the drain I wonder if Mrs. Esme is still mad at me. I really hope she isn't. She probably won't want me to work for her anymore.

Then what am I gonna do?

I dry myself off and realize I forgot my clothes in the room. I wrap a towel around my body, open the door, but my attempt to sneak into the bedroom is a failure when I bump into Edward.

He groans as I hit him in the chest.

"Kid, what the…" He stops talking when as his eyes finally take me in. His eyes roam down my towel covered body. He shakes his head and suddenly turns around.

"I'm s-s-sorry, Edward. I f-f-forgot my clothes."

With his back to me, he sighs and says, "Kid, will you please just go get dressed?" His voice is shaky and weird.

~NLG~

I take my time getting dressed and brushing my hair. I don't wanna see or talk to Edward. Mrs. Esme probably already talked to him about the Angela thing. I don't wanna face him.

I finally decide to go to the kitchen when I get thirsty. After a cup of water and snacking on some cookies, I head to the living room to watch cartoons, but find Edward asleep on the couch with the TV off.

I'm not sleepy yet, so I head over to the book room to grab a book and Dolly. As I'm about to reach it, I realize that the door to Edward's small office is open.

I look back to the couch and find him still asleep.

I slowly head to the office.

I've never been inside.

There is a mess of scattered papers on a small desk and pictures of Alice and Mrs. Esme on a shelf. There is a picture facedown and when I lift it up, I shake my head when I see that it's a handsome picture of Mr. Carlisle.

_Edward can't be mad at his dad forever._

There is another small shelf on the wall by his computer. He has a few books there so I get curious and start looking through them. Maybe I'll find one look at. The first three don't have pictures so I put them back. I grab the last book and as I open it a few pictures fall out of it.

I hurry to pick them up and at first I don't recognize the people in the pictures I've found, but the green eyes of the young boy let me know that it's Edward. He is grinning at the camera with an arm around a pretty blue eyed girl.

The next few pictures are of them two at different places and always smiling.

Always.

There is one of him kissing her cheek and one of them laughing and happy.

Kate.

The girl Edward loved, it's her.

_He still has pictures of her?_

I place the pictures back in the book and head to the living room where he is still sleeping.

He looks younger as he sleeps. The stress of his constant over thinking and sadness is no longer visible in his sleeping form. The lines and that vein that pops out when he's mad are gone. I stare at how his belly rises and falls as he breathes.

But another thing that is gone as he sleeps is his smile and those green eyes I love.

I kneel by his side. I can hear his heavy breathing as I near him. I gently caress his face and move some of his crazy hair away from his forehead. I stare at his peaceful face for a few minutes. He smells nice.

I wonder if he ever ate so much candy because he had never had it before and got sick or felt lonely as a kid. I wonder if he ever went weeks without showering or trembled to sleep in the cold.

Of course he didn't.

We're so different.

We have nothing in common.

He doesn't seem to understand me most of the time and thinks I'm a kid. But for some reason I have never felt warmer, safer and calm with anybody but him.

I want nothing more, but him.

He's sweet and even though he's short tempered, he is kind. Though he can't let go of things, he has a good heart.

I wish my luck doesn't run out like I think it is and I get to keep him.

I place my lips against his forehead. "If only you could lo-love me," I whisper, careful not to wake him. "I wo-would d-d-do anything." I would. Of this I'm sure and have no doubt in my mind.

When I pull my head back, my eyes catch his lips.

I smile.

He pouts when he's asleep.

"I love you," I whisper and without thinking about it twice, I place my lips against his.

* * *

**Please don't hate me for that cliffie! Next chapter will be up this weekend hopefully.**

**Before you hate Ed for the "little sister" comment (I hated it myself haha) just put yourself in his shoes. How old is Kid and how old does she act?**

**Saying that, _a lot_ is yet to happen and I did promise you what I promised you in my very first A/N so don't leave! :) **

**I'm going to donate an outtake for this story for the Fandom4Homeless. Please donate anything you can! It's for a good cause for roofless people around the world. With a receipt of your donation you will receive my outtake and from the other authors participating. **

**Check out their website on how to do it. The link is on my profile.**

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl for news, discussions and teasers. I love my group. Awesome group of people with a big heart! So join us.**


	16. Coward

_**Hello everyone! Thank you for staying and leaving me much love in all your reviews. **_

_**Before you move on to this chapter, let me just say this. I've never claimed to be a good writer, but I love to do it. I love to write angst because I feel that it's amazing that it can pull at your heart strings and make you so mad, so hurt and so happy. Pain is very real and though the plot to this story is a little out there, I aim to make my characters real.**_

_**I aim to make these characters, though fictional, as real as I can with flaws and all. Sometimes real people hurt us or make us mad. Real mad.**_

_**Excuse my mistakes. I wrote this all in one sitting and proofread with tired and crooked eyes. **_

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Chapter 16- Coward

_"I love you," I whisper and without thinking about it twice, I place my lips against his._

His soft lips are warm and feel nice against mine. It feels funny in my bell, but I like it. My heart pounds against my chest and my body is filled with warmth, but as soon as I feel his deep breath caress my cheek, I pull away.

_What have I done? _

_I hope he doesn't realize what I did._

I sit back and await his anger.

Edward snaps his eyes open. At first he seems confused of his surroundings and his eyes search around, but when his hand suddenly reaches his lips, I know I'm in trouble.

He looks for me and when he finally finds me his eye widened and he quickly sits up. "Kid?" He questions worriedly. His hair is a mess from his nap and falls on his face. "Holy shit," he mutters lowly and shoves a hand in his hair. "Shit."

He looks at me one more time with what seems like sadness, not anger. "Oh, Kid. Why did you do that?" His voice is full of pity.

He's not mad.

It's worse.

He feels sorry.

He feels sorry for me.

I stand up, not once looking away from his eyes.

He shakes his head. "Kid, what…I…I don't understand. Can you help me understand?" His face is pleading for an answer.

"You d-d-don't wanna kiss me?" I ask. Strangely I'm not afraid of him. I'm not afraid to speak for once.

I'm angry. I'm so angry at him. How dare he? Why?

"No," he says and though I can feel the sharp pain in my chest, I fight to keep it from reaching my face. I dare myself not to crumble. "No, Kid. Why would I? I mean a kiss like that. I care so much about you, but it's not in that way. You're just a kid. You don't know what you want. You're too young."

"That's n-never stopped anything b-bad from happening to m-m-me. Why can't something g-g-good happen? Something good like you?"

His shoulders fall at my words. He looks down at his hands and shakes his head. It's as if he doesn't know what to say. It's as if I have asked him the most difficult question.

"Because it doesn't work that way, Kid. You're just confused."

"About what?!" I shout. He quickly stands up and rushes to stand in front of me.

"You're confused about what you're wanting and feeling. I'm the first person to give you shelter because I wanted to and not because a foster care agency asked me to. I've given you food and a bed without asking anything in return. You're probably feeling some sort of attachment to me because of all of this. But you'll grow up and grow out of this. I'm not it."

It's no use. My eyes water and a whimper escapes my chest. He's underestimating my feelings. He's calling me young and dumb. I know it. I can feel it.

_If I was Lauren he wouldn't feel this way._

Anger runs through me more powerful than anything I've ever felt. It's so powerful that I can feel my legs shake and my breathing get heavier. Suddenly I can't stand that he's standing so close to me, so I shove him.

He stumbles back. His face shows that he's a little shocked that I would do something against him.

"Why do you p-p-puh." I hate it. I hate not being able to talk the way I want to. I hate that it holds me down with a chain I cannot see. It holds me down so tightly and painfully and I can't breathe. I feel like I'm going to explode. The words trying to make it out of my body are going to get trapped and I'm going to drown. I hate the feeling so much.

I fucking hate it.

So I shove him again. "Why do you p-puh." I choke on a sob. But I won't give up. "Why do you push me away? Am I n-n-not good enough?"

"Kid, please calm down. You're gonna get sick."

"No! An-answer me!"

"It's not even like that!" He finally shouts back. He's finally lost his cool.

"Is it b-b-because I'm not pretty like Lauren and K-Kate? Is it be-b-because I'm not elegant? Is it because I'm a s-s-street rat?"

He doesn't answer. He turns away from me, ready to escape, but I grab onto his shirt and pull him back to me. "You're s-scared, Edward."

"What are you talking about?" His eyebrows are furrowed, his face is red and the vein in his forehead is very visible. He's angry.

"You won't even t-t-talk to your dad! You have a d-dad and you ch-ch-choose to live without him, because you're t-t-too scared to face him. You ca-can't let go of your d-d-dead girlfriend, because you're too afraid of to m-move on! You're a coward! You're such a c-coward!"

Suddenly he's grabbing my arms, tightly and painfully pulling me to him. His angry, red and watery eyes are burning down mine and his heavy breaths hitting my face.

"You ungrateful little…How dare you? How dare you judge me? How dare you spit those rotten words at me?" He shakes me. He shakes me hard, but I can't feel the obvious pain of his fingers digging into my skin.

I'm numb. I only hear him.

I'm drowning again.

"You should be thankful for everything I've done for you! I even gave up a relationship for you! I put you before everything and everyone else in my life! I made sure you had anything you wanted and needed. Everyone told me that I should give you away to the state, but I didn't want to. I was going to take care of the lonely little girl," he cries. "But look at what you've done?"

"Because you l-lef-left me! You've left me alone. You b-broke my heart," I cry. I choke on my tears and saliva.

"I took you off the streets!"

"Be-because you we-were lonely! Because you were afraid to b-b-be alone! You d-d-didn't think I would n-n-notice? Because I'm a dumb kid? You used me! Just like everyone else. You used me to g-g-get over your d-dead girlfriend! You asshole!" I slap at his chest.

He suddenly throws me on the couch and steps back. Sweat and tears are running down his face and his chest is violently rising and falling. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Kid?" He cries; spit flying from his mouth in fury. "Who are you? Maybe I should have saved us both from this agony. Maybe I should have given you away to the state or maybe I should have left you where I found you!"

He grabs his keys and jacket, before slamming the door on his way out.

It takes a few minutes for my mind to finally react and for my body to crumble to the floor. I sob into the couch.

_What have I done?_

_What have I said?_

I lie here. My face shoved into a tear drenched cushion, Edward's angry words echoing in the now empty apartment and with this painful and murdering sting in my chest. My brain feels like its pounding and my throat dry and in pain from my shouting.

I finally manage to stop my sobbing and the new silence is shocking and painful to my ears.

"D-D-Dolly?"

I pull myself up and drag to the book room.

Dolly is on her back on the floor.

Her crooked stitched smile trying to make me feel better, but it doesn't work. I tell her not to bother.

I fall to her side and gently take her into my arms. I hug her to my chest and cry into her yellow hair. "D-Dolly, I did it. I r-ruined it everything. Why d-d-did I say those things? I'm n-not mean. I'm not. I swear. Dolly…" I gulp. "Dolly I'm gonna b-b-uy you a new dress one day."

I rock back and forth holding onto Dolly for dear life.

"We g-gotta go, D-Dolly. We gotta go," I whisper in her ear. "We gotta get out of here and its m-m-my fault. It's my fault we lost our ho-home. We d-d-don't have a home no more. No more, Dolly."

I have to be fair. I have to be fair to myself and not lie.

I need to leave. I'm not welcomed anymore. I broke my final luck. If only I had stayed quiet. I shouldn't have fought him. Even though he made me promise I would fight him, I shouldn't have.

I should have been good.

I panic. I need to leave before he comes back and kicks me out himself.

I get up, grab my favorite book and Dolly and run out. I desperately look through the closet and sob when I find my old backpack. Though he washed it, it still looks ugly and dirty.

I hold it to my chest and let my tears fall. I wanna stop crying. I do.

I shove a few small shirts in it and a pair of pants, socks and some underwear. I stuff Dolly, the book and some snacks from the kitchen into the backpack.

I make sure to grab the money I got from working with Mrs. Esme and shove into the pocket of my jeans.

Esme.

I bite my lip.

I'm gonna miss her.

I'm gonna miss her so much.

I take my mom's photo that was inside the big book with no pictures next to the bed and gently place it into the pocket of my jacket. The picture of Edward and me is waiting. With a watery whimper, I kiss his image and put it in my pocket too.

I find my old knitted beanie hat and put it on my head.

As I'm about to leave, I take one last look at the place I once called home. The silence is still present. There is no sign I was ever here.

Nothing was ever mine.

He was never mine.

"B-b-bye, Edward," I whisper into the nothing, wishing he could hear me.

My eye catches the voice recording box Edward bought so he could leave me messages in case he left me while I was asleep.

It's on the fridge. I slowly walk towards it and press play.

_Hey, Kid. I hope you slept okay. I left your breakfast on the table. Don't watch too much TV, you crazy kid. I'll miss you! Bye! _

I smile at his voice.

His sweet voice…

I'm gonna miss him the most. I'm gonna miss him so much.

I press the record button…

~NLG~

I stare at my blue sneakers as I walk down the streets of Seattle. I remember when he bought me these shoes. I was so excited.

I thought he was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

He was.

It's cold again. At first I thought I could take it, but the more I walk the more the cold cuts into my skin and bones. The colder my tears feel on my face.

I don't know where I'm going.

I think I'm lost.

It feels like it used to.

How quickly the old feeling returned. Maybe it's because this is how it was meant for me. The smells and sounds and the cold were meant for me.

I stand at a corner a little confused. I stare at people walk past me and cars drive by. It's getting darker. I need a place to sleep and stay warm.

I start walking again. My fingers are numb and the backpack is starting to make my back hurt. I have a cramp on the back of my right thigh. I'm thirsty and hungry, but I decide I can wait until tomorrow to eat.

My clothes start to feel wet from the mist and cold. I don't wanna get sick. I gotta find a place to stay soon.

I finally spot a familiar building and I know the street will lead me to my friend!

My friend Jessica.

I run.

I'm breathing hard and the cold hurts in my lungs, but I don't stop.

What am I going to tell her?

Would she let me stay for a little while?

Maybe just for tonight.

What if she's got a client?

I forgot how scary her neighborhood is. I wipe my face with the back of my hands and try to clear my vision. There are a few men standing around looking around suspiciously and a woman standing at the corner with hardly any clothes on.

I make my tired feet hurry.

I jump when I hear police siren go off, but try not to look at anybody in the face.

When I finally reach her small apartment house, I knock on her red door, but there is no answer. I decide to wait for her. I rub my arms. Even with my jacket it's still cold. I guess my body is not used to it like before.

It's gonna have to get used to it again.

I stand there for a few minutes. A smelly man asks if I can help him like Jessica can, but I ignore him and thankfully he leaves without further push.

After a few more minutes of waiting, I finally spot Jessica walking towards me in short shorts and boots with a man following her. He looks too clean to be from around these parts, but he nervously looks around as she leads him.

When she sees me, her eyes widened.

"Kid? What the hell are you doing here?" She asks. "Wait," she tells the man who was starting to walk away. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed, Kid? Why do you have your backpack?"

"Ca-can I stay with you for the ni-night, Jessica?"

Jessica's face drops and she sighs. "Oh, Kid, what happened with the rich boy?"

I look away from her eyes. I'm embarrassed.

"I screwed up."My voice cracks.

"Everyone does at some point, Kid. You're only human," she says, but I don't wanna hear it. "So you don't have a place to go stay?"

I shake my head and nervously play with my hands.

"It'll just be for t-t-tonight. I p-promise. I promise I wo-wo-won't bug you for long."

She looks back at the nervous man and then back at me. "I'm sorry, Kid," she whispers, her voice shakes with every letter. "My rent is due tomorrow. If I don't pay the fuckers are gonna kick me out and then I'll never have a place for you to stay."

I nod disappointedly. "Oh, okay. Its o-o-okay," I say and slowly start to back away.

"I really am sorry, Kid," she insists. "Come back tomorrow. You can stay on my couch and maybe we can go eat a burger or something? A fuckawesome milkshake, too. Does that sound cool?"

I swallow the lump in my throat and give her a watery smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, that s-s-sounds cool, Jess."

She gives me a half smile and a nod as if she really wants to convince me and especially herself that it's a good idea and that it'll actually happen.

"How much fucking longer?" The nervous man asks and I bolt out of there.

~NLG~

It's late. It's very late. I can tell because the city is quieter as I lie on a park bench. I curl my knees up to my chest and hug myself in order to keep me warmer. It helps a little. I still shake and I can feel my teeth rattle.

I wonder what he'll think when he realizes I'm not there anymore. I wonder if he'll worry for me. Maybe just a little. Maybe he'll be happy I'm no longer a burden to him.

I was after all, a heavy burden for him. I see that now. How dare I believe that I had a right to call him home? I was so stupid. He was right. I'm just a stupid kid.

I'm a stupid kid with impossible dreams. I dared myself to claim something that was never mine. His love was never meant to be mine. I wanted more than he could give me. I was so selfish. I should have been happy with three meals a day and a warm bed to sleep in.

How ungrateful was I?

He bought me new shoes and made me toast.

I should've taken what he could give me.

I should've have been happy with that.

It wasn't his responsibility to give me what I never got.

But I can't help but stare angrily at the sky.

_Why can't I have that? Why can't I have someone like Esme to be my mom and someone like Alice to be my sister? Why can't Mr. Swan be my dad? How dare you forbid me of that?_

I cry and drift in and out of sleep.

I'm so far away now.

I'm so far away from him.

This is the way it's supposed to be.

But I can't help but wonder why now the bench I lie on hurts so much more than it used to.

Why are the streets much more frightening to me this time?

Why does it feel colder than ever before?

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**:(**

**Remember I said this story was gonna get angsty? Well here it is. Please stick around! I also promised a HEA...**

**Everything happens for a reason. I know it seems nothing gets better with each chapter, but that's because it has to before the light shows up.-Very cheesy of me.**

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**Adios**


	17. A Running Man

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**Here is the dumb boy you all want answers from.**

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Chapter 17- A Running Man

_EPOV_

There is a nagging pain in my back, my brain is pounding against my skull and holy shit there is a demonic taste in my mouth.

"Yo, Ed, wake up." Is that Mike Newton's voice? "I think it's time for you to go to work, dude." Shit, it is.

_Where the hell am I?_

"You're on my living room floor, dude."

"Am I talking?" I try to lift my head off the floor, but somehow it feels so heavy. I misjudge the distance between the floor and my head and let out a groan as it hits the hard surface.

"You're really fucked up aren't you? You can use my shower and wake the hell up."

I pry my eyes open and at first everything is a blur. I rub them with my hands and gag as they smell like stale beer.

"Dude, you need to shower and get the hell out of here. My girl is arriving in an hour and I don't want you here when she does."

I always knew Mike was a shitty friend.

I don't really know how I ended up in his place. All I remember is getting drunk and finding him at the bar. He invited me to another beer and then another and I just accepted in my pathetic depressed state.

I don't know why I did that.

It seems I don't why I do anything lately.

Mike says he'll let me borrow some of his work clothes so I don't have to drive home. He'll give me a ride to work and I can drag my sorry ass around the office and claim to be sick.

I shower with my eyes closed. My head is killing me and I'm thirsty as fuck. I had so many drinks last night and almost got in another fight. I'm a violent drunk, I guess, but I don't know why I had so many shots and beers. I hadn't gotten drunk since I found…

_Kid._

_Why did I say those things?_

_Why did I react that way? I was such an asshole to her. _

The painful guilt stings my eyes and makes me sick to my fucking stomach.

The agony on her face hurts even now, in a brand new day. My chest hurts and I can feel my face fall.

But why did she say those things to me? All I've wanted for her was to give her anything she wanted. But what she wanted from me was impossible.

She's just a kid.

What did she expect?

I gave her a place to stay. I gave her food and medical attention. What else does she want? I think I've proven to her that I would do anything for her. Yet, she's angry with me.

She doesn't know what I've been through or the pain I suffered for losing Kate. Does she think it's easy to forget? Does she think I can magically stop thinking about the past and talk to my father?

_It's because you've decided not to let go. It's easy that way. Living in grief is a great excuse not to open up again._

Shut up.

It takes time.

How am I going to face Kid? How did things get so bad? Did it happen while I wasn't looking? Had she mentioned something and I missed the clues?

Maybe I'm not cutout for this. I have to admit I'm a bit young, but I found Kid to be easy and comfortable.

She doesn't know how many times I've had a rough time at night with my thoughts and gone to her sleeping form just to check on her. She also doesn't know that her presence alone and her peace always give me that comfort I need. Her innocence and overall loveliness convince me that good things do happen.

But she threw my time away from her and Lauren in my face. She implied that I don't give a shit. I didn't expect that. I was only doing what felt right. I was finally moving on. I was finally doing something right for myself. I thought I was making sure Kid was alright during that process.

But it seems Kid doesn't agree with that.

On the ride to work, I fight the vomit that threatens to come up my throat and the anger I feel. I don't know who I'm angry at or at what, but I insist on holding onto my seatbelt with fury.

I think I'm angry at Kid.

I think I'm angry at her words.

I'm angry at her judgment.

I'm angry because she might be right. I'm furious, because if she is, I'm fucked.

And I can't stand the idea that I've become such a failure.

_Such a failure…_

I spend my morning drinking water, avoiding eye contact with everybody, head down in my cubicle and thinking of Kid.

_I have to check on her._

_Fuck, she's at work with Mom. _

Maybe she's told Mom what happened. Maybe I should call them. I want to make sure she's okay. I'm sure she's upset with me, but I can fix that later.

I can fix it.

It'll be hard, but I'll try.

It's almost lunch. I go to the restroom to wash my face. My eyes are bloodshot and I still feel like shit. I look haggard and the scruff I have going on doesn't help. People in the office surely must know I'm hung-over…maybe still drunk.

As I head back to my desk, I look down when I spot other employees headed my way, but accidently bump into one.

"I'm sorry," I mumble and start to walk again, but suddenly this person grabs me by the arm. "What the…" I look up and almost puke at the sight of Charles Swan starring icily at me.

"Are you okay, son?" he asks, but I'm sure he really doesn't care.

"I'm fine," I say dryly.

He lets go of my arm.

"You don't look so good."

"I'm feeling a little sick."

"Well which one is it?" His loud, stern voice and the way he punctuates his words, almost make me jump. "Are you fine or are you sick? You better decide what you want, Mr. Cullen or you're gonna have a hell of a hard time around here. Hell, you'll have a hard time anywhere. I suggest you have plenty of water and some aspirin and maybe a talk with Jesus and get to work."

He gives me one last glare with his dark eyes, before he walks off.

Before I get the chance to pass out, my cell phone starts to vibrate in my pocket.

"Mom?"

"Oh, Edward! Is she okay?"

I'm confused with her question and mostly with her worried tone of voice.

"What are you talking about, Mom?"

"Well…you see, yesterday…oh, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did." She takes a deep breath. "Yesterday I received a major complaint from a patient and I fired Angela."

"It's about time you fired her. I always told you she was a moron."

"Well I know now. But the horrible thing is that I yelled at Kid."

My heart begins to race and guilt and dread punch me in the chest at the mention of Kid.

My poor Kid.

"Why?"

"Angela told me Kid knew about the things that she had done. I was so angry and upset about what had happened that I gave Kid some blame and yelled at her. I shouldn't have. It wasn't her fault. I was just upset and I should have calmed myself down before speaking with her. I'm a damn shrink. I should have known that and know how she would react. She's too sweet and naïve to understand. But now, she didn't come into work today and I'm sick with worry."

"What? Have you called the house?" I think I'm yelling at my mother. I can feel heat of worry spread across my chest and face. My heart is racing and breathing has become difficult.

"Yes, there was no answer. I thought maybe she was with you."

"No! I'm at work…"

"Well was she there in the morning?"

I stop myself, remembering that I didn't spend the night with Kid.

"I'll call you back. I'm going to go check on her," I say and don't wait for her response and hang up.

I start running to the doors and dial my house's number.

It rings and rings.

I push open the doors and wait for a taxi. I curse at myself for not being able to drive this morning.

Each ring drives a fucking nail into my heart.

"Come on, Kid, pick up the phone."

_She's probably asleep. She does like to take naps._

_She's probably watching cartoons with the volume too high. How many times have I told her to turn it down? That has to be it._

I hang up and dial again.

A taxi finally stops for me. I yell directions at the driver without caring. The ringing is driving me insane.

I disconnect and call over and over again the whole ride.

"Where are you, Kid? Pick up the damn phone."

I run into the elevator and ignore as Mrs. Cope calls my name. She says she has something important to tell me, but I don't have time.

Even the small elevator ride which probably isn't even two minutes is killing me.

I leap through the elevator doors and run with the key ready to unlock my door.

As soon as my trembling hands manage to get the door open, I rush into my apartment.

"Kid?" I shout. My voice echoes through the place. The living room is empty and the TV is off.

No cartoons.

No Kid.

I rush into the bedroom and find it and the restroom empty.

"Kid?" I shout again. I can't breathe.

Fuck, I can't breathe.

I search in the bookroom and in my office.

Empty.

It's all empty.

I rush back, hoping maybe I missed her on the couch or the kitchen, but end up coming face to face with Mrs. Cope.

"Holy shit, Mrs. Cope! You scared me. Have you seen Kid? Did she go out or something? Did you see a tall dark kid come for her? Did she tell you where she was going?"

Mrs. Cope steps back. I don't realize I'm hovering over her until she raises her hands up as to stop me. I was must be scaring her. I pull at my hair and try to calm down.

"I'm sorry. I'm really worried. Have you seen her?"

She gives me a sad look. "Oh, Mr. Cullen. I feared this day might come."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw her. I saw her last night. She was carrying an orange backpack and was crying. She ran out the door. She didn't listen when I called for her. I tried to follow her. It was late and raining and I feared for the poor child. But I'm an old hag and my weary eyes lost her. I tried calling you, but you didn't answer. I thought maybe she would change her mind and come back today. But she hasn't."

It takes me a minute to process what Mrs. Cope is telling me. I clench my jaw and take deep breaths.

I run back into the room.

She's lying.

Mrs. Cope doesn't know what she's talking about.

Kid is just probably looking at books on the floor.

She's probably in the shower.

I look there and she isn't.

I don't want to believe it.

I don't want to believe Kid left.

I finally take the time to notice that her shoes aren't next to the bed like she always leaves them, I've yelled at her for that too since I'm always tripping on them. I look under the bed and Dolly is not there. I dig through the closet and don't find that horrible orange backpack I found her with the first time I met her.

It's gone.

It's all gone.

Left behind are most of her clothes.

I look in the book next to the bed where she had the photo of her mom and the one with me and her.

They are both gone as well.

Kid is gone.

She left.

I can feel my eyes water and my legs shake. I hold myself up by grabbing onto the bed. I've never felt this overwhelming pain and need to breathe.

Its weakening.

My eyes catch the small voice recorder toy that I had purchased for her when I started working.

It lies on top of her pillow.

It shakes in my hands as I press the play button.

_Edward…I'm s-s-s…I'm sorry for what I said. I d-d-didn't mean to hurt you. I was ju-just mad. You're the best thing that e-e-ever happened to me. I wanted to be with you f-fo-forever. I just th-thought that maybe…ma-maybe you could love me. But I was wrong. I see th-that now. I never wanted to be a b-b-burden. I'm so sorry. I p-p-promise never to be in your wa-wa-way and that you'll n-n-never see me again. Goodbye, Edward. _

I run.

I run out of my apartment with the voice recorder tightly in my hand, as if it's going to help me find Kid. I dare not let it go while I run down the stairs and out to the busy streets of Seattle's lunch hour.

My heart is beating loudly in my ears, sweat stings my eyes and I fight to catch my breath as I decide to run to the right. I stop at every alley and dumpster I see. I call out her name even. People look at me like I'm insane, but I don't give a shit.

I go to the nearby park. I look under all the slides, on all the benches and ask people if they've seen a young girl with an orange backpack with pale skin and big brown, sweet eyes.

Nobody knows who I'm talking about.

I continue running through the city. I can feel the button shirt Mike let me borrow soaked with my sweat and my drenched hair, falls on my face.

My stomach is protesting.

I haven't had anything to eat all day.

My body and head are killing me. They are still protesting last night's idiocy. My body is begging me for food and rest.

I can't give up.

I won't.

I refuse.

My blistered feet take me to the prostitute's apartment.

Fuck this place looks worse in the day.

I can't believe Kid would sleep and live around this area.

I have to find her.

I angrily and desperately bang on her door. The door vibrates and I fear it'll break, but she has to answer.

Finally after a few more insistent knocks, the door flies open and the prostitute; Jessica I think is her name, angrily glares up at me wearing nothing but a torn up t-shirt and angry red marks on her neck.

"What the fuck is your problem, rich boy? You're gonna fucking break my door," she shouts.

"Is she here?" I gasp. She eyes me up and down before standing up straighter.

"Who are you talking about?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about! Where is Kid? Is she here? Can you tell her I need to talk to her? Can you tell her that I fucked up, but we can talk?"

"Woah, calm down, Ed."

"You don't understand."

"Of course I do. You kicked Kid out and now feel guilty about it," she says.

"I didn't kick her out. She wasn't home when I looked for her."

"So you left her alone?" Before I argue with her she places a hand in my face. "She's not here, Ed. She came last night, scared shitless. She asked me if she could stay, but I had…you know…so I told her to come today, but she hasn't. You better fucking find her, Ed."

"I'm trying," I say. "Do you know where she went? Did she tell you?"

"No, she took off running. She used to sleep at the park nearby and also under the old bridge. That used to be her favorite place to sleep. I wouldn't be surprised if she went there. I swear, Ed," she says, her face and defensive stance fall. "I swear I wish I could have let her sleep here last night. It rained and I know she probably got soaked. I'm a bad person, Edward. You gotta fucking find her and never let her go again, you asshole. That poor girl has suffered so much already."

The concern in her voice is painful in my chest.

She's right. She's so right.

I run to the old bridge Jessica talked about. It's dirty as hell. Trash covers every corner. There are empty soda and beer bottles, trash bags, cigarettes, fast food cups, and it smells like hell. I can't imagine Kid's little body sleeping here lonely and unprotected.

But her little self isn't here at all now.

I fall to my knees no longer having any power and the overwhelming guilt paralyzing my thoughts and movements. My body can't hold back anymore. Tired of my neglect my stomach revolts.

I vomit bitter bile onto floor and after my stomach is done, I let out an ugly sob I didn't know I was holding. My chest vibrates with the pained sounds coming out of my soul and my eyes strain with the force of my desperation.

"Kid? Where are you, Kid? Let me find you and take care of you again."

The sound of a police siren goes off reminding me of the dangerous ways of the monster city. Anxiety runs through me, shaking me once again with deeper worry.

"You need me…I need you. Come back, Kid."

~NLG~

After cleaning myself up at a convenient store's restroom, I call my mother.

"Oh, god, Edward! Are you okay? What's wrong? You sound horrible, sweetie."

I hiccup and clear my voice. My throat is dry and my lips seem stuck.

"It's my fault, Mom. I can't find Kid. I can't find her and she's probably wandering all alone. I'm such a damn idiot," I cry, no longer caring or controlling my breakdown.

"Calm down, son. She took care of herself for years. She's now a smarter girl after living with you. I'm sure she's safe somewhere. We just have to find her and bring her back home."

Home.

That's what Kid had with me and that's what I threw in her face like the coward that I am.

It's unbearable.

I'm too horrified to let out any words.

"Edward? Are you there?"

I take a deep breath.

"How? I've looked everywhere," I finally say with a shaky breath. I feel weak and shattered.

"We'll have to tell the police."

"The police? Mom, Kid was a minor… I don't even…"

"We have to get help. Alice says she'll meet you at the police station with the picture she took of Kid. Head over now and we'll meet you there."

~NLG~

I have a drink of water and ride a taxi to the police station. My pained feet drag up the stairs, but I try to hurry. I think of the worse as every minute passes. Anything could happen to her.

As I make it to the last step, I see Jasper walking out with another man. He sees me and walks toward me.

"Dude, what the fuck? You look like shit…and smell like it," he says.

"I, uh…" I stumble with what I want to say.

"Are you okay, man? Wait…why are you here? Did something happen? Is Allie okay?"

"Fuck, I lost Kid. I lost my little one," I groan. It seems I can't say anything with pain running through me.

"You mean the cute girl you had living with you? What happened?"

"She…uh, she ran away. I acted like an asshole and she ran away."

He gives me a pitiful look and shakes his head. "You really do care for that girl." I nod. "I think you care more about her than you thought."

"I have to file a missing person report."

"Yeah, go for it, dude. I hope you find her."

"Jasper," his partner says. "We have to meet him ASAP. I'll wait for you in the car." The man leaves, rushing down the stairs.

"Dude, I just got assigned to shadow that asshole. I'm only putting up with it because this case is huge! It's a 16, almost 17 year old unsolved missing person mystery. A missing 'important' person," Jasper says with a grin.

"You're working in that department?"

"Yes, boss says he sees potential and I'm already making good connections with everyone here. He says I'm a good brain they could use."

"Maybe you can help me," I plead.

"You're missing homeless girl?"

"Her name is Kid, asshole."

"Oh, cool down," he mutters. "Yeah, I'll help you, dude. Just give me a call in the afternoon and let's meet up. I have to go meet Mr. Swan."

"Mr. Swan? As Charles Swan?" I ask.

"Shit, don't tell anybody, but yeah. Charles Swan. I'll help you with searching for Kid after my meeting with him. I'm looking for his missing teenage daughter. The famous Marie Swan."

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**Let me know what you think with a review. **

**If you're interested in the Spanish version, look up La Niña de Nadie, translated by Verosmee Cullen who has done a wonderful job of still keeping the tone of the story in a different language. Muy cool!**

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**See ya! **


	18. Rag doll

**Ahh! Your words of encouragement are amazing! Thank you all so much!**

**Here is a short chapter, but that just means another update is on its way.**

**I know all of you Kid adoptive mamas wanted a Kid point of view, but there are still some things Edward needs to discover.**

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Chapter 18 – Ragdoll

EPOV

I wake up to the overwhelming nothingness that surrounds me.

There is no TV on with loud animated cartoons playing and nobody talking to a ragdoll. There is nobody I need to hurry so that we can get to work on time and nobody I need to make breakfast for.

Most painfully, there is an empty void not only in my apartment, but also in my chest.

Two weeks.

That's how long it's been since Kid disappeared…well two weeks since she ran away. Every day I drive around looking for her during my lunch hour and after work. Every day I call Alice and Esme to check if they've seen or heard anything. And every day I talk to Jasper.

He has some guys in the police station that he has on the lookout for a young runaway.

When I went to make the missing person report that first day, they didn't understand why I was looking for someone I didn't even have a relation with. They tried to pass it not important because we had an argument and she was probably avoiding me.

It wasn't until I told them that she was just a kid and that I had first found her homeless that they paid attention.

They question the shit out of why I had a minor living with me. I gave them a bullshit story of how I was just trying to convince her to get off the streets and move into a shelter I volunteered at.

Shit.

"Well, what's her full name?" The policeman had asked.

"Her name is Isabella…" I didn't even know Kid's full real name. I stared at the chubby man as the realization crashed in my mind. What else didn't I know about the girl that had lived with me for so long? I've been such a fool. Here I thought I was doing something great for her and even patted myself on the back many times and yet I failed to see how much I was failing her.

"Isabella? Isabella what?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

He gave me a look to let me know he thought of me crazy.

"I don't know what her last name is, but she called herself Kid. Not Isabella." I described everything that I knew about Kid. How she looked, talked, what she wore, carried, etc…

He continued to tell me how if they did find her she would be turned into child services since she is a minor.

Every day since then I've been on an edge I can't shake off. I don't know if it's the guilt or the worry, but I truly feel like I'm losing my mind.

I have a cup of coffee, stare at the empty kitchen chair she would sit in and then continue to torture myself the entire way to work with things I could have done differently.

I try to concentrate at work, but there is really no use. I've struggled to make any progress these days. I slouch back in my seat as Lauren makes herself to my desk.

"Hey, Edward," she says, but I don't even look at her. I stare at my computer screen. "Do you want to have lunch today?"

"No," I simply answer.

"Why? You've turned me down several times this week and last. What's wrong? Is it that street girl?"

I quickly stand up and hover over her. "You better leave my sight and never talk to me again, Lauren. You're a horrid human being." Wide eyed she stands back as I continue to push her away. "Get the fuck out of here."

She quickly walks away without another word.

I should have done that a long time ago. Too bad I didn't have punch to throw at her.

~NLG~

"Not eating is not the way to find her, Edward," my mother says as we have lunch. She finally convinced me to take a lunch hour for myself.

"I just worry, Mom," I mutter and push my plate away. "She out there somewhere all alone." She covers my hand with her soft one.

"I never…" she chokes. I look up to find my mother with tears in her eyes. Her blue irises are darker in contrast to the pink around them. "I never thought I would worry and hurt so much for a stranger. And knowing that I could have done so much more not only as a professional but as a woman and a mother kills me. I know you must be filling yourself with guilt and the truth is both of us failed that young girl, but you have to be tough and find her. We both were too selfish and concentrated with our own lives that we failed to see that she was asking us to help her. After years of being so alone and never having a family, Kid only wanted someone to love her. Why she chose us? Who knows? We weren't deserving that's for sure. You weren't ready to take care of her and I wasn't ready to help you. But now we have to find her and make it up to her, Edward."

I smile, agreeing with my mother. "Yes, we're gonna find her, Mom."

She sighs and looks away from me.

"Kid has made me see that I need to take some time off for myself."

"What? After twenty years?"

"Yes. Dr. Jefferson and Dr. Keith are going take over my patients. They agree that I need the time off. You don't know this, Edward, but your father and I have been having a rough time with our relationship. We even thought of a break."

My mouth falls open and I quickly pull Mom into my arms for a hug. "What the hell, Mom? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just didn't want to add anymore to your already full plate. I love your father, I do. Kid's absence made me realize how much we take people for granted." She pulls away with a satisfied look on her face. "I always thought it was very against my feminist thoughts if I dedicated so much time to your father. I've always been very independent. But I realized that if you really love someone in life and you want to keep them forever, that's what you have to do. Dedicate yourself to them or let them dedicate some time to themselves, but always be ready one hundred percent to be there when they need you."

~NLG~  
"So you haven't found anything? How about that woman shelter I told you about?"

"Nothing," Alice says over the phone. She sounds defeated and that's exactly how I don't want to feel. "I went up there since they couldn't tell me anything over the phone, but they declined to give me any information in person. The lady felt bad, I guess, and told me that all she could tell me that all of the women at the shelter were mothers. None of them were homeless teenage girls."

"Fuck," I mutter. "I really need to get out of work. I'm sorry I'm making you spend your day off looking for Kid."

"Are you crazy? There is nothing I'd rather do. We gotta find our Kiddo!"

I smile into the receiver. "Thanks, Al."

"Yeah. I'm going to keep looking. I'll call you later."

"Okay."

I look at my computer's clock.

One more hour.

~NLG~

Is it really this hard to find a young girl in this city?

Two weeks.

Two fucking weeks and no trace of her.

I showed up at Jessica's place again after work. She hadn't seen her either since that night. I gave her my contact information just in case Kid decided to show up.

I'm going to meet Jasper tomorrow and fucking set up another plan, because this shit isn't working.

I lie in bed staring at the ceiling with one hand over my chest and no sound but the piercing silence that surrounds me. Kid's side of the bed is cold and still smells like her. I turn and hug her pillow, burying my face into it.

"I fucked up, Kid," I whisper.

"_When I die…"_

"_Don't say that," I angrily tell her._

"_Why not? It's going to happen."_

"_But it hurts when you acknowledge it."_

"_I know, but I have to say this."_

"_Then hurry."_

"_When I die, you'll find a better reason to live."_

"_That's ridiculous, Kate. Why would you say something like that?"_

"_Because it's the truth. It'll be tough at first, but your true purpose will finally come to you and you'll be really happy."_

"_You've always been a wishful thinker which I'll never forget."_

_She giggles. But even the sound of that is weak._

"_Maybe. But the day you feel that fire burning inside of you making you feel alive again, you won't even think of me anymore and that's going to be okay."_

~NLG~

"I just don't think she's in Seattle anymore," Jasper says. We are currently in his partner's office. Pete, is his name, is too concentrated with the Swan's case to even listen to us.

"But where else would she go, Jasper?" I ask.

"I don't know, maybe where she's from or where her real family is from."

"What?"

"Yeah, didn't you say she told you once that she was born in Portland?"

"Yeah, but do you think she would travel to Portland?"

"Who knows, but we aren't finding her here in Seattle."

I groan into my hands because nothing is getting better.

"Maybe if we find out who she really was, who her parents were or where they live, we can find her."

"But how if she didn't know anything about them?"

"But she did know where they had her. Now how did she know that?"

"I don't know."

"So let's say she knows people there. Did she have any friends that she didn't make through you?"

"Jacob, some kid, but…"

"That's while she knew you. How about anybody she knew before you?"

"Jessica, the prostitute."

"Ah yes, we're going to pay her a visit later today. Anybody else? Maybe someone from Portland that she talked about?"

"Well, she did talk a lot about two girls she used to hang out with. Their names… fuck…I think their names were Maria and Cara."

"Last name?"

"Umm, fuck." I pull at my hair. "Caballero!" I shout as I remember.

Pete looks over at us and shakes his head.

"Did she ever tell you where they were from?"

"She said from Portland, but that she last hung out with them in Seattle."

"I'm glad you remember all of this, Ed. You did pay some attention to her," he says and I want to punch the shit out of him.

"Asshole."

"Uh-huh," Jasper answers while he writes in his notepad.

Pete stands up and hands him a folder. "I know you're helping your friend here, but you're getting paid to look for Marie Swan, so can you look at this for me and tell me if you find anything? Boss says you have potential or some shit. I have yet to see it," Pete says and heads back to his desk.

Jasper flips him off while he isn't looking.

I sigh and sit back in my chair. It's getting harder and harder to find Kid. I just wish there was some clue that could lead us to where she is.

Where did you go, Kid?

Jasper whistles as he looks through the Marie Swan file he has in his hands. "It's crazy how teenage girls disappear every day and how hard it is to find them. While Kid is running away because she thinks you hate her, Marie Swan has completely vanished since the age of 4. Maybe if…" Jasper stops talking. Something in the file has clearly caught his eye.

"What's wrong, Jasper?" I ask. He pulls out of his notepad and writes something down.

"What did you say Kid's real name was?"

"Isabella. Seriously how many times do I have to tell you?"

"And how old is she?"

"She is seventeen. She told me she would be turning eighteen this month."

"Are you sure she didn't get her age wrong and would be turning seventeen this month?"

"Why would she do that?"

"Well Kid was illiterate."

"What are you really saying?

"Well isn't it strange that we have two girls missing that were born in the same city and in the same month?"

I don't say anything as the realization starts to dawn on me of what he's trying to imply.

"According to these files, Marie Isabella Swan will be turning seventeen this month and she was born in Portland and was given up for adoption the night of her birth. She was adopted when she was two by some couple in Seattle. They later lost her to the child protective services because the mother had bipolar disorder and turned to drinking. Poor kid had the worst of luck because after that there is no trace of what happened to her."

"Her middle name was Isabella?"

Jasper nods. "Yup."

"Holy shit. Do you think…do you think that maybe Kid is…dude, the photo!"

"What photo?"

"Kid had this photo of her mom, her real mom that she carried inside this ragdoll."

Jasper's eyes go wide and his hands reach for his cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" I ask.

"I'm calling Mrs. Renee Swan."

"You really can just call her like that?"

He chuckles. "They aren't royalty and they own cell phones."

After a few minutes he hangs up with disappointment.

"No answer," he grumbles.

"What do you want to ask her?"

"Let me call Mr. Swan," he says, ignoring my question. Another few minutes pass and he hangs up. "Fuck, no answer."

"Try Mrs. Swan again."

He does.

He jumps up when someone finally answers. "Mrs. Swan? Yes, this is Detective Jasper Whitlock…yes, I'm doing well. Listen, I have what could sound like a silly question, but it could help a hell of a lot."

I rock back and forth in my seat.

What could this mean? If Kid was Marie Swan, if both girls were the same person, how would this help us find her now? Would this mean I would surely lose her once found? Why does that even matter? What matters is that we find her and that she's back to being safe.

"Did you happen to take a picture with her? Right…uh huh…hmm. Did you happen to leave something with the infant before she was given to the adoption agency that night?" Jasper asks.

There is a long moment of silence.

His eyes widen and his mouth falls open.

"Okay, thank you ma'am. Uh…yes, I'll call you if I find anything." He hangs up and falls into his chair.

Pete and I are anxiously awaiting his response.

"Dude, what the fuck? Talk!"

"Renee said she didn't leave anything with Marie before she let her go."

Disappointment fills the room and my heart drops.

"But she did say Charles Swan took a picture of her with the baby for memory and left his mother's ragdoll with the child."

My head snaps up. There is a fucking grin on Jasper's face.

I stand and grab him by the lapels of his shirt and pull him up.

"You son of a bitch!" I shout.

He laughs. "Dude, I think we just found out where Marie Swan has been all this time and some of that time has been with you."

I let him go as I have stopped breathing. This shit is unreal.

"This is fucking insane! If it's true obviously, but holy fuck!"

"Now all we have to do is find Kid and a DNA test to prove that Marie and Kid is the same person," Jasper states.

"This is ludicrous," Pete says pulling us out of our excitement. "It can't be this easy! This isn't some day time soap opera or some shitty Without a Trace bullshit TV show. Girls go missing every day. Just because these two have things in common doesn't mean that they are the same people. There are a lot of holes in this theory."

"Holes that we'll fill with finding Kid, asshole," Jasper says.

"But all you did was ask about a damn photo and doll! How come Renee never told us about the damn doll?"

"Because why would a doll make a difference if nobody knew it existed? We didn't know Kid existed who knew about it. Now we know Marie kept a ragdoll thanks to Kid. Do the math, Pete!" Jasper starts walking out of the office. "Come on, Ed, let's go talk to Jessica. I think she might know something she hasn't told us yet."

I follow Jasper while Pete shoves his desk forward.

"That made no sense! Fucking rookie. You think you have all the answers. Just wait until you're proven wrong."

"I just have a real good feeling I won't be," Jasper chuckles.

And with that, we head to Jessica's house.

~NLG~

"So you didn't know her for very long?" Jasper asks.

"I mean I really don't know for how long I knew her. All I know is that she didn't have anybody," Jessica responds. We're currently sitting on her torn and broken couch. To give her some credit, she did keep the small apartment clean. "She was really sweet. It always shocked me to know how incredibly good she was, you know? Like it didn't make any sense. She made me mad sometimes. Like that was my excuse for living the shitty life I led, but here is this kid who shares her food with me because I tell her I'm hungry when she's the one that's homeless."

I smile because that is Kid. Really good and a big heart.

"Did she ever tell you more about herself?" I ask her.

"Not much. She would just tell me how she didn't have anybody and how one day she would go back to Portland to try and find her mom and dad."

"She told you that?"

"Yeah. I tried to convince her to let them go. If they gave her away like why did it matter where they were? Fuck them. But Kid just said she just wanted to see what they looked like. She just wanted to see who she looked like the most." Jessica chuckles. "I thought that was cute and so sad."

"Did she ever show you anything she owned? Like a picture or her birth certificate?" Jasper asks.

"Oh, not really. But she did tell me that her friend Maria in Portland had her birth certificate."

"Hmm, maybe we have to go to Portland," Jasper tells me.

"I hate to leave Seattle, but we aren't finding her here."

"Yeah," he mutters. "Let's find this Maria chick. She might hold the final verdict."

* * *

**I know short chapter and we didn't find out how Kid is doing, but there will be another update soon. And at least we're getting closer to Marie…**

**You know what I mean.**

**Leave a review and let me know how you feelsss! **

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl. **

**Also, check out the Fandom4Homeless blog on my profile and help out if you can. I'll be donating an outtake of this story to them. **

**See ya and hugs for Kid! **


	19. Worried Shoes

**Hi everyone! Thank you all for the reviews! I can't believe this little story has love from you guys! **

**This chapter is named after what I feel is Kid's theme song now. This is song is in my NLG playlist as I write. I've listened to it 100 times according to iTunes haha I just forget its playing as I get lost, writing and don't bother changing it, but it helps.**

**The song is _Worried Shoes_ by Karen O and the Kids.**

**It seems all of you wanna either adopt or hug the hell out of Kid.**

**Here she is.**

* * *

Chapter 19- Worried Shoes

"Hey, girl!" A growly and rough voice pulls me out of my dreams while his boot hits my foot. "Hey, girl!"

I quickly sit up on the dirty floor of the alley and scoot away from him. My heart is pounding in my chest from the rude awakening. Hoping he doesn't hurt me, I give him a weak smile.

"Hey, girl!" He shouts again. He sways right and left and the awful smell of booze lets me know he's wasted.

"Y-y-es?" I ask, still feeling my heart in my throat.

"Do you got food?" He scratches his yellow beard. His dirty nails digging hard into his skin.

As if trying to answer for itself, my belly grumbles. His eyes wander to it and soon enough he starts to laugh. He's missing teeth and the few he has are black.

"Never mind, little lady," he mutters and starts to walk away, holding onto the wall for support. I stare as he leaves to make sure he doesn't come back and try something funny.

I sigh in relief when I can't see him anymore and lean against the wet and disgusting wall I slept against last night.

I check the inside of my backpack, making sure my stuff is still there. The other night I woke up to some crazy lady looking through it. I snatched it away so fast from her that she fell. I felt bad afterwards, but she had no business looking through my stuff.

I'm satisfied when I see dirty Dolly staring at me from the inside of my bag. I can't afford to lose her either.

She's all I got.

As I zip the backpack up again, I stare at my hands. They are covered in black grime. There is mud under my now long nails and my jeans look more black than blue.

If my hands and jeans look like this now, I can't imagine how the rest of me must look.

I take my knitted beanie off my head. I can smell how dirty, greasy and sweaty my hair is, but I can't really do a lot about that now. I pull my ponytail tighter with a rubber band and shove the beanie back on top my head. I haven't anything to eat since yesterday morning and I think I have a cold.

How did I get back here?

Why am I hungry and cold again?

There I was, thinking my luck had finally changed.

I was silly.

I guess it was just a vacation. Everyone takes those, right? And they go back to where they came from, only taking little memories with them from where they visited.

My memories are on my feet.

My blue sneakers I once cleaned everyday to keep new are now dirty as can be and with a hole on each side. I don't think they are blue anymore.

I guess all good things do come to an end.

They eventually wear off.

You can't keep what's not yours.

What's not mine?

Edward Cullen.

Edward Cullen and his pretty family and nice home. All those things aren't mine. I was silly to think they could ever be.

So I return from my vacation of a nice bed and three meals a day. I return to my achy back, neck and grumbling tummy. I return to the allies, parks and bridges of this city.

I spent the remaining money I had from working for Mrs. Esme on a motel after the first night I ran away. I slept there for about three days and then realized my money was running low.

I decided to stop avoiding the inevitable and obvious and returned to where I belonged.

The awful streets.

I wanna laugh like a crazy person. I have been crazy! I should have never left these streets. Somehow now that I know what it feels like to have a warm bed, food everyday and a real hug, I feel worse.

I feel worse knowing that none of that was meant for me.

It would have been easier to continue living with the stupid dream that I could ever have better than I have been given. I should have kept my eyes closed and never opened them to the green of that lonely boy.

My belly growls again and a deep sigh escapes my chest.

Yeah, this was meant for me.

Why?

I'll never know.

I stand at the corner of the street hoping someone will take in my dirty clothes and hair give me some change or maybe even some leftovers they carry in those white boxes. I like the white boxes from the first restaurant on this street. Once, a lady gave me ham, bacon and turkey sandwich with fruit jelly!

I first I thought she was being mean to me, but after eating it out of hunger I found that it was delicious. I hope someone has had lunch there and decides to give me their leftovers.

I have some money left, but I'm saving it. I have a plan to get out of Seattle.

Maybe I can go to Portland and learn new streets and alleys.

That's where I was born. Maybe my mom and dad still live there. I could bump into them on the street or something. I bet they've never had ham, bacon and turkey sandwiches with jelly.

Maybe they could buy me one or something.

Yeah, that would be great.

I laugh to myself after thinking about it for a few more minutes.

It ain't gonna happen.

~NLG~

I sit under a slide at a park while it rains. I don't really know where I am anymore.

When I woke up that morning after I ran, I sorta just started walking and walking, not really looking where I was going. To be honest, I really didn't know where I was gonna go.

I didn't have a plan.

I just walked, one foot in front of the other, sometimes on top of each other because I'm clumsy. I walked thinking maybe something would come to my mind like it used to when I got desperate for food and shelter.

But nothing.

So here I am, a lost homeless girl.

I don't think it matters.

Nobody's looking for me anyway.

With my dirty hands, I tear off pieces of a half sandwich some man gave me before the rain hit. It doesn't have jelly, but it's good. I stuff the first piece in my mouth and my jaw tingles. The salty goodness of the ham and cheese makes my mouth water for more, but I know if I don't slow down, it'll disappear and I'll be left with disappointment.

Even though I'm under the slide, the rain still hits me, but I don't bother moving. I drink my water and hope it helps me feel full.

I eat the last piece of the sandwich.

I'm still hungry.

I stick my hands out so that the rain can wash them. I scrub them together until they look okay.

"I ca-can't t-take you out of the backpack, Do-Dolly. You'll get sick. Then wh-what am I g-go-gonna do with you?" I pull the backpack close to my body making sure the rain doesn't it hit as much.

It smells funny.

But so do I.

"Where d-do you wa-wanna go, Dolly? We can g-g-go anywhere you want. No, we ca-can't go b-back there. We can't, Dolly, we ca-can't. We j-j-just can't. Why? Because we d-d-don't belong there."

I hug the backpack tight to my chest and rock back and forth with it to make the ache in my chest go away. I'll do anything to make the ache go away.

"You re-remember that woman sh-sh-shelter in P-P-Portland that served eggs and ha-ha-ham for breakfast? You wanna go there? We can g-g-go there. I liked it there. I like it. May-maybe we can go t-t-to that park you like."

I don't feel good.

I feel like there is a knot in my throat.

I don't know why, but I start sobbing into my backpack. I think it's this ache I have in my chest. Maybe I can cry it out.

"Stupid. Stupid."

My tears end up soaking my backpack instead of the rain.

I hope Dolly is okay.

~NLG~

My scalp burns and I'm itchy all over.

I wash my face and hair in a sink, but I still feel gross.

I decide to ignore the feeling.

If I get a few more bucks I can try to get to Portland and have some good money to spend. Maybe I can get a job or something. I can be a maid. Mrs. Esme didn't have a maid, but I know Mr. Swan had one. He would complain about her sometimes. Maybe I can clean for cash and sleep in a cheap motel sometimes.

A lady lets me clean the inside of her car and a few houses let me pick up the trash in the yard for a few bucks.

I'm proud of myself. Even though it's not a lot, I worked hard for it. Besides, I have to get used to this. This is the way it's going to be forever. It's just gonna be Dolly and me on the streets.

We'll get lonely, of that I'm sure. But we have each other. She'll have to start talking soon. I think she's mad at me. She didn't want to leave.

Makes two of us.

Maybe I can find another homeless girl like me and we can be friends like Maria and Cara. Maybe I'll run into them in Portland again.

Maybe when or if I become an old lady, shelters will feel bad for me and let me stay. I don't like the rain or the cold.

I don't like dirt on my face.

I don't like my itchy skin.

I don't like the ache in my tummy and my chest.

I don't like the holes in my shoes.

~NLG~

"Run, Lori, run! You're such a good little girl!"

I snap my eyes open at the sound of the woman's warm voice. The sun hits my eyes and I quickly shut them. I take in a deep breath and wonder where I am.

The hard surface of the wooden bench and the giggling of a little girl remind me that I decided the park would once again be a good place to sleep.

There weren't any cops around.

I take a moment to stretch my legs. I whimper as a sharp pain attacks my back and waist, but I'll get over it. My tummy loudly and angrily growls and it hurts. I didn't eat anything last night. I'm saving my money.

I'll probably skip breakfast too. I'll just drink a lot of water.

I slowly sit up, check my backpack for Dolly and rub at my sleepy eyes. When I finally look out the park I realize there is a family playing under a tree.

The little girl has curly red hair and is running around while her mom laughs and laughs like it's the best thing she's ever seen. The dad grabs the little girl and tickles her making her squeal.

I giggle at them.

It's strange hearing the sound of that. It's almost been three weeks and I really haven't heard it much.

It kinda hurts to laugh. My throat is dry, that annoying sting in my chest shows up and for some reason my face hurts. I must have slept with it on the hard bench.

I stare at the family for a few minutes. I forget about my pains as I look at how happy they are. I wonder if Mr. and Mrs. Swan have gone fishing again with Riley. Mr. Swan said that they have a lot of fun when they go. He's really nice, I bet he is a really good dad and Mrs. Swan is a sweet mom.

Riley must be a good boy having a mom and dad like them.

I know if my parents would have kept me, I would've been good. I would've been really good. They would have felt lucky that I was that good to them.

I guess they didn't have time to find out.

I guess they didn't have time or room for me.

As I stare on, the mom finally notices me and her smile drops. She quickly taps her husband on the arm and whispers something in his ear that makes him look in my direction. He pulls the little girl closer to him.

Oh, yeah, I look gross. I look like something unwanted.

I know I should leave now.

I give them a small smile, grab my backpack and run off before they call the cops.

~NLG~

My head hurts. I'm dizzy.

I know it's because I'm really hungry.

One month.

That's how long it's been.

I don't know why I keep counting the days. It's not like it'll change anything. I guess the more time passes the more real it gets. The more I know I'm never going back.

And it hurts.

It hurts real bad.

I think my birthday passed. I guess I'm eighteen now.

I should buy myself something with the cash I got. Maybe I can buy myself a piece of chocolate cake or something. That's my favorite. I loved it when Edward would bring some from his mom's house.

I wonder how they're doing and if Mrs. Esme got another girl to help her. She always did stress. She's nice. She don't deserve to stress.

I should have told her about Angela. Maybe she wouldn't have yelled at me or gotten mad.

I also wonder if Edward is doing better at his job and if he's talking to Lauren again. Now that I'm not around I bet he has more time to do what he wants and has fun. He's probably happy he can sleep in his bed again. He always did complain about his back hurting from the couch and that I talked in my sleep.

I wonder if they ever think of me.

I know I think about them all the time.

I get this little pain in my heart when I do.

I hope that if they ever do think of me, it's something good.

If not, that's okay too.

I walk around the streets, playing with the hem of my shirt. Once again I don't really know where I'm going. I guess I'm just hoping something will happen.

Maybe I'll walk myself to an answer.

But I can't trust myself too myself. My shoes walk a crooked line. I don't always end up in a good place.

I stop at a convenient store to fill my bottle with water from the restroom sink. I catch a glimpse of my face in the mirror. There are dark circles under my eyes, grime all over my face, my lips are so chapped they look white and I look thinner. My cheeks are starting to sink in and my pants are feeling loose around my waist.

I buy myself a chocolate muffin and a soda for my birthday and run to sit under an overpass. I eat my muffin very slowly so that it lasts longer. The sweetness makes my jaw tingle.

One time, my foster mom, the one that named me Kid, made me an upside pineapple cake for my birthday.

That was really nice of her since she was usually grumpy.

I always forget when my birthday is.

"Hey Do-D-Dolly, you want some muffin?" Dolly says no. I think she's not mad at me anymore, because she's talking. "Well it's your lo-lo-loss. It's really g-g-good."

I finish and I lick my dry lips just in case there is still some chocolate left and stare at the passing cars as I drink my soda.

It feels nice. The weather is cool, but not so much that my cheeks sting.

I sit there on the ground for a few minutes wondering where I should sleep when a car stops in front of me.

The passenger window rolls down and as I look to see who it is I'm greeted with a smile by a really pretty lady. She has big brown eyes and blonde streaks in her curled hair. She's dressed really nice and I wonder if she means trouble.

When you're homeless people that are dressed nice can mean trouble just as much as the dirty old bums.

"Come," she says. Her voice is sweet and I slowly make my way to her.

When I get close she hands me a few dollar bills and a small box I know for sure is food. I can smell the spices and it makes my tummy growl and my mouth water. With shaky hands and a smile I take what she gives me.

"I ordered a lot of food during my lunch, but I shouldn't have since I didn't eat it all. I'm horrible," she says in a teasing voice. "But I'm glad I did. God probably knew I was going to see you and wanted me to give you this food. He wanted me to look out for you today."

I smile at her. "Tha-thank you. I wish G-God had m-m-more of these ideas for me. I don't think he's ha-had a lot of ideas for my life."

Her smile falls a little and I can tell she feels bad.

All good people do. But they can't do anything.

"Thank you," I say again before I start walking again.

"Hey, wait!"

I stop and look back at her.

"Do you have somewhere to stay tonight? I can drop you off at my church. Maybe you can stay there tonight?"

~NLG~

"What's your name?" The pretty lady asks.

Her car smells nice.

"Kid."

"Kid?"

"Yes."

"Oh…well that's cute. My name is Sandra."

"Oh," I simply say. It feels weird to be inside such a fancy car. My dirty clothes don't match the leather seats.

There is something digging into my back and when I grab at it, I end up with a child's book in my hand.

"Oh, dear, that's my son's book. They always leave a mess behind," she says with a giggle.

"You have a s-s-son?"

"Yes, I have three."

"Really?"

"Yes, I love them dearly, but they are all boys and all trouble. That's Ian's book. He's my crazy little one."

"I b-b-bet you're a great mom."

"Why are you so sure?"

"You're n-n-nice to me and you are very pretty and smell nice."

She laughs and I smile at my silly joke.

"You also t-talk about your sons with s-s-so much l-love. I wish I was th-that lucky. You're a g-g-good person," I say.

She smiles at the road.

A few minutes later she parks in front of what I assume is her church. It's a nice little building.

"You know, Kid, I almost didn't stop. I was afraid you were dangerous and I wouldn't have ever dreamt of offering you a ride, but like I said, maybe God is looking out for you. I'm a mother and I would die knowing my sons were in any kind of danger. You're such a young girl. I bet your mom is sick with worry. Maybe you don't think so, but God might have a plan for you. You're a wonderful girl."

I just smile, because I'm not too sure I believe her.

"Let me go talk to the pastor, okay? You can sit outside. We have a lovely garden area you can walk around it." I do as she says.

But she when disappears into the church I run.

She's too nice.

I'll screw up somehow.

~NLG~

I offer some old lady money so she can give me a ride to Portland, but she says it's too far, but she'll drive me half way.

She drops me off at this neighborhood and swears I'm closer to Portland. She tells me it's a nice neighborhood and that I should be careful because the "uptight assholes" will call the cops.

It's pretty late so I look for a place to sleep.

The only place I know I won't be seen in is behind a dumpster. I'm not too sure if it's a nice neighborhood. I can't see anything as it's too dark.

I sit with my back up against the cold metal and think about what that nice lady Sandra said.

"The-there's a plan f-f-for me, Dolly," I say as I caress her dirty face. "A plan? Yeah, right." I giggle. "I -have no p-p-plan."

I kiss the picture of Edward and the one with my mom and hold Dolly tight as I dose off into sleep.

~NLG~

"Kid?"

I hear a voice, but I'm still in a dream and my face is hot.

"Kid?"

I can feel my body coming out of sleep and I snap my eyes open as I realize that the voice is real. At first the sun is glaring down at me, blinding me from everything.

How the heck did I end up on the floor? I sleep weird. How did I end up here? My shoes have certainly taken me to some strange paths lately.

"What in the world are you doing sleeping here, you sweet girl?"

I rub my eyes and try to block the sun.

When I finally manage to take a look at the person talking, I can feel a big smile on my face and a warm feeling in my broken heart. I let out a shaky breath. I've never felt like this before.

"M-M-Mr. Swan?"

* * *

***runs and hides***

***Comes back***

**Ahhh! Sorry for the evil cliffie!**

**Leave me some love (or a slap for the cliffie) in the comment box and hugs for Kid. **

**I love Mr. Swan!**

*****This chapter is dedicated to my wonderful friend, Sandra. She's an amazing person and mom. She's one of the best moms ever! The way she talks about her sons makes me feel so positive about the world and human beings. A mama's love is like no other I guess. She wouldn't have hesitated and I know she would have given Kid food, money and motherly advice or help. **

**Also, check out the Fandom4Homeless blog on my profile and help out if you can. I have donated an outtake of this story to them. **

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**See ya and hugs for Kid! **


	20. Little Shadow

**Hola everyone! Thank you all for the reviews, follows and favorites. 20 chapters ago, I wouldn't have expected this much love for this story! You guys rock! **

**Your concern for Kid during the time of no update has inspired to cut the new update into two chapters for a quicker update. So here's the first one. The title of the chapter is also a song. Youtube it! **

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Chapter 20- Little Shadow

"_What in the world are you doing sleeping here, you sweet girl?"_

_I rub my eyes and try to block the sun._

_When I finally manage to take a look at the person talking, I can feel a big smile on my face and a warm feeling in my broken heart. I let out a shaky breath. I've never felt like this before._

"_M-M-Mr. Swan?"_

"Yes, honey, what are you doing here?"

I rub at my eyes again as his image is spinning a little. My eyes and face are burning, my head is spinning, my throat and lips are dry and I feel weak.

I sure hope I'm not imagining it and that he's really here.

With a shaky hand I reach out to Mr. Swan. I see him try to take it, but my weak arm falls.

"I d-d-don't feel so good," I hear myself whimper to him.

"Sweet girl, can you sit up?"

I feel myself nod, but I can't be too sure. I slowly sit up with his help as he gently supports my back.

"Lord, you're warm. I should take you to a hospital," he says.

"N-n-no!" I shout. "They'll ca-c-call the foster home p-p-people. I d-d-don't wanna go! I don't wanna go, M-M-Mr. Swan!" I start crying, hot tears running down my cheeks. I think it's because I'm sick that I'm acting like a baby. I grab onto his sweater and pull at it. I don't know why, but I do. It's as if I'm trying to convince us both and hold onto to him.

"Shh, it's alright sweetie, I won't take you there. But we gotta get you some medicine and food. My wife is making some breakfast and we probably have some medicine. Want to go there? To my house?"

"You p-p-promise you won't call the f-f-foster care people?" I cry and wipe my face with the back of my filthy hand.

"I promise," he says and gently caresses my cheek with his thumb. Through my dizzy, fever haze I can see the warmth and softness in his brown eyes.

"I'm gross and p-probably smell."

He chuckles.

"I probably do to. I was jogging around the block," he says as he checks my forehead for temperature. "Then I saw your foot from behind the dumpster. Freaked me out, especially when I saw that it was you, sweet girl. Why are you out here?"

I smile at him, but start to sway side to side. I hold onto his arm and he lets me. My heavy head falls forward, but luckily he holds me and doesn't let me fall.

He helps me get steady before he stands.

"Get your backpack and I'll call Renee," he says. He turns and pulls out his cell phone.

I slowly grab my backpack and Dolly who is hiding under it. I shove her inside and zip it up. I'm more awake now and can see Mr. Swan a little more clearly. He's wearing a gray sweater and sweat pants. It's strange seeing him like this. Every time I saw him at Mrs. Esme's office, he was in a perfect suit and tie.

He looks a little nicer this way. He doesn't look like the mean boss everyone hates. He looks like the sweet man I know he is.

I like it.

He ends the call he was on and walks over to me. I'm still on the ground with my backpack over my shoulder and my hands in my lap ready to follow where he leads.

I don't know if it's the fever, but I can't wait to go with him. I just know he'll make me feel better.

I can feel it in my heart.

Or it might be the fever.

He smiles at me after looking at my dirty form with sad eyes. "Sweet girl," he says as he kneels by my side. "How do eggs and ham and a shower sound?"

My tummy answers for me.

Loudly.

~NLG~

The leather of Mr. Swan's car seats smells nice. He helps me buckle in and places my backpack in the backseat. I make him promise me that he won't throw it away.

I close my eyes as I hear him agree. His sweet voice soothes my mind. I can still feel myself burning alive, but somehow I feel good.

Mr. Swan makes me feel good. He's nice. There is something about him that makes me feel so peaceful. His warm brown eyes and sweet smile assure me that everything is gonna be okay and that I can trust him.

"C-Ca-Can I sleep on the wa-way there?" I ask.

"I think you're already asleep, darling. I'll wake you."

"Okay," I hear myself whisper.

I drift in and out of sleep.

The fever is bothersome. My eyes keep watering, my throat itches and my whole body hurts. It can't be from sleeping on the ground. My body is used to the hard surface and discomfort. It has to be this ugly sickness.

The only thing rocking me back to sleep is Mr. Swan's lovely music. There aren't words to it and only instruments. It suits him. He's very quiet and doesn't say much, but his presence is enough. Just like the music he plays in his car.

I smile as I finally fall asleep.

~NLG~

I feel my feet floating. I smell a nice mixture of a garden and a man's body wash. It's not until I accidently grab at the stubble on Mr. Swan's jaw that I realize that he's carrying me.

I panic at the thought that he is smelling and touching my filthy clothes and hair. As weak as I feel, I still try to struggle out of his grasp, but he holds me tighter.

"It's okay, sweetie, I got you. We're almost inside."

"B-b-but I stink," I cry. My head is killing me and though I didn't think it would, my fever has gotten worse. "I s-s-stink, Mr. Swan." I whimper and continue to pull away from him, but he doesn't budge.

"It's quite alright, Kid. Nothing a good shower can't fix. I just wanna make sure you're okay."

"I'm em-emmm- embarrassed."

"It's just me, Kid. Old Mr. Swan."

"B-b-but you're so sweet and nice and great."

He chuckles. The sound vibrating in my ear.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Kid. I got mean bones and a tough skin."

He continues walking until I hear a door open and a lady's voice cry with worry.

"Oh, dear. Charlie! Is she okay?"

I slowly move my eyes to see Mrs. Swan running towards us. She's wearing a peach colored cardigan and her pretty, brown and short hair is nicely brushed and neat.

"She's pretty sick. Can you help her shower to help with the fever? I'll finish up breakfast."

"Yes, of course, just take her upstairs."

I don't say anything and let Mr. Swan take me into his house. I didn't get a chance to see it because my face was buried into his shoulder and continues to be until he tells me it's time to stand on my own.

I open my eyes and find myself in a beautiful bathroom, with white tile walls and a shiny floor. It smells nice. It's not like those truck stops I go to for a quick wash of the face.

"Are you s-s-sure I can take a sh-shower here?"

"Of course," he says, before I wobble on my weak legs. He holds me by the shoulders. "Renee is going to come help you. Is that okay with you?"

I just nod. He tells me to sit on the edge of the tub and I do as I'm told. He says Mrs. Swan is getting me clothes.

"Mr. Swan?" I ask. He is still holding me by the shoulders.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Th-thank you. I th-th-think you saved my life." I sigh as I still feel the fever burning in my skin. "I don't fe-f-feel so good," I whimper.

"Don't worry, Kid. Renee is going to help you feel better with this shower and some medicine."

Finally Mrs. Swan shows up and tells him to go away and that the kitchen is waiting for him. She closes the door and sets all of the items she was carrying down.

She turns and stares at me for a little while. Her blue eyes filled with pity. I bite down on my lip and look down in embarrassment.

"Oh, sweetheart. How did you end up like this?" Her voice cracks as she talks to me.

Without looking at her, I scratch at my itchy scalp.

"I g-g-got no home." I hope my simple answer will make her stop questioning me.

She walks closer to me. I can smell her nice perfume and I want to rest my head against her, but I don't wanna freak her out and I'm disgusting so I stay put.

Even though I feel like I'm gonna pass out.

"Can you get undressed by yourself while I get the water ready? I promise I won't look," she says. I nod and she helps me stand. Her soft and gentle hands struggle, but we manage.

I struggle with the zipper of my jacket. My shaky hands won't work with me.

As soon as I take it off and leave myself in my thin t-shirt, the cool air hits every pore in my skin and the sound of the water makes me whimper and tremble. I walk backwards until my back hits a wall.

"Honey, come, the water is ready," she says and I shake my head.

"N-no!" I cry and slide down until I'm sitting on the floor. "I don't f-f-feel good," I cry. Again, the hot tears running down my cheeks fill me with embarrassment, but I don't wanna take a shower.

It hurts.

Through the salty tears I see Mrs. Swan kneel in front of me.

"I know, honey. I know you're very sick and don't want to make it worse, but you're burning up. The shower might hurt, but it'll make you feel better at the end."

I don't answer and continue to cry.

"Nothing is gained without a little fight, Kid. Come." She extends her hand to me.

"You p-p-promise I'll get to eat eggs and ham?"

She grins and nods enthusiastically.

"That's my f-f-favorite breakfast...and toast."

I take her hand as I stand up. I let her help me undress, not caring that she's seeing my naked body. I haven't been naked in a whole month. I've worn the same clothes every single day. I'm sure they smell awful, but I can't tell anymore and Mrs. Swan is sweet and doesn't say anything.

As soon as I'm under the water, I start to cry again. My loud sobs and squeals echoing and vibrating off the tile walls.

"It's gonna be okay, honey. Here." She gives me a small towel and shows me how to rub the bar of soap with it. "Now scrub your body, starting with your face first. I'll be right out here if you need me. After you're done, we'll wash your long hair."

Even though my eyes are filled with water and tears I can still see the black water pooling around my feet and drain.

Mrs. Swan helps me wash my greasy, long hair and scrub my knees and feet.

After I'm done, she quickly makes me get into a big, soft robe. I'm shaking so hard my teeth feel like they're shaking too.

She gently dries off my face and hair with another towel. After she's done with that she moves my tangled, damp hair out of my face and smiles.

"How do you feel, Kid?"

"B-b-better," I whisper and I love the big grin she gives me. Her blue eyes shine to match her pretty white teeth. The wrinkles around her eyes and the way her brown curls stick to her forehead from the water make me smile.

"You're such a pretty girl," she says and pulls me into her arms, placing my cheek against her shoulder. Her hand gently rubs my back as if trying to soothe my sickness away and I feel like its working. She's so sweet, warm and she smells like honey. I snuggle my face closer into her soft cardigan covered shoulder and let my eyes close. "Why would a sweet and pretty girl like you be sleeping behind a dumpster?"

"I m-m-made a mistake," I say. "I made a mistake."

She pulls back and stares into my eyes with her watery blue and caresses my face.

"Let's get you dressed so we can eat breakfast and get you some medicine."

She helps me dress into her clothes. She says she doesn't care that I wear them and that I should stop worrying about ruining them. They are her sweats, warm and comfortable. They are big on me and she says a few good plates of food will fix that soon enough. I get excited at the thought of food.

She makes me swallow some disgusting medicine and says that it'll make me sleepy but also better. I'll do whatever it takes.

She rubs lotion on my dry face and arms and says it's her favorite kind. It's now my favorite too. It smells like vanilla and Mrs. Swan.

"Come," she says, taking me by the hand and leading me towards the stairs. "I'm sure Charlie is done making breakfast. He makes the best eggs and ham. You'll see."

I smile and carefully take one step at a time. My eyes examine every detail of the Swan's home. It's really spacious and beautiful. There are pictures on the wall and as we slowly make it down the stairs, I stare and appreciate each one.

There are a few with Mr. and Mrs. Swan with other people I don't know. There is an older man with an arm around her. They have the same eyes. That must be her dad. He looks very serious and kinda mean, but I quickly get rid of the idea since she's so kind. I stop walking when my eyes catch the one of Mr. and Mrs. Swan with a little boy.

They are sitting by what seems to be a lake. The boy is very cute with the sun shining down his pale skin. He is sitting in her lap while Mr. Swan has an arm around them. They look really happy.

"Is th-that Riley?" I ask.

"Yes, that's our sweet boy. That's when we went fishing a few months ago."

"Mr. Swan always s-s-said he liked fishing. He wa-w-wasn't kidding." She giggles. "Where is Riley?"

She brushes a strand of my damp hair behind my ear, her fingertips spreading warmth in my skin. "He's spending the weekend with my parents. They are taking him out for some fun. They are probably spoiling him rotten."

I continue to explore the rest of Riley's pictures until Mrs. Swan tells me we gotta go eat, which I don't mind at all.

When we get to the kitchen Mr. Swan greets me with a hug. He's wearing a t-shirt and jeans and smells like soap.

"Kid, you look like a pretty china doll. I told ya that shower would help you," he says and I feel like giggling at the sight of his moustache as he grins. "Take a seat, doll."

"Doll?" I quickly panic as I don't remember where my backpack is. "Where is my b-b-backpack?"

"Don't worry, it's in my car. We can go get it later," he assures me.

I sit at the huge, wooden kitchen table. I feel way small compared to the monster chair I'm in. I realize I am small because when Mr. Swan sits beside me, his chair looks smaller with him in it.

He smiles at me and doesn't move his brown eyes away from my face. "I've really missed you, Kid. The last few sessions I went to with Dr. Cullen, I didn't see you. I wanted to give you a gift, but you were nowhere to be seen. Where have you been?" He asks.

"You g-g-got me a gift?" I ask and he chuckles.

"Yes, I still have it to give to you, but you have to answer a few questions for me, okay?"

I weakly sit up, my sickness still ruling my body, but I can't help but feel excited.

"Okay, Mr. Swan," I agree.

"First, don't call me Mr. Swan. You're my friend. Friends don't call each other by their last names."

I giggle because he says we are friends. But he's an old guy. He's silly.

"What do I ca-c-call you then?"

"How about Charlie?"

"Charlie?"

"Yes, all my friends and family call me that. And now you."

I giggle. The fact that he will let me call him by what his family does makes my heart race and I completely forget that I'm sick and hungry. I'm so overwhelmed with excitement and glee that I get a little dizzy in my chair, but I can still feel the smile on my face.

"Okay, Charlie."

"You can ask your questions later, Charlie," Mrs. Swan says and places a big plate of eggs and ham in front of me. "This young girl has some breakfast to eat."

My mouth waters and I quickly grab the fork she hands me and dig in. I shove the hot egg in my mouth, not caring that it burns my tongue. I shove a few more bites into my mouth and jump when Charlie hands me toast.

"Th-thank you," I say with a mouth full of food and take a big bite of bread. "I lo-love toast."

I finish what's on my plate and gulp some of my orange juice. I wonder if they'll give me some more. I look up and find both of them just staring at me and not every paying attention to their own food.

I feel the heat of my embarrassment in my cheeks and I look down to my lap.

"Ah, don't be embarrassed, honey," Mrs. Swan says and lifts my face up by placing her finger under my chin. She gently and quickly wipes around my mouth with a napkin and I let her. "Charlie does make a mean scrambled egg." She smiles, caressing my cheek and grabs my plate.

I pout with disappointment.

"Let me get you some more," she says and I immediately bounce up.

"I'm glad you liked it," Charlie says and continues eating.

"I w-w-was really hungry. Still am."

"Well, we'll fix that, Kid. You still sick?"

I just nod.

"Ah, we'll fix that with some good rest and food. Maybe after you start feeling better, we can take you home."

"Home?"

"Yeah, your home."

I shake my head. "I don't ha-have a home."

He stops eating, but I ignore it as Mrs. Swan places another plate of egg in front of me and I dig in.

"What do you mean you don't have a home, Kid?" He asks. His voice is softer now.

I swallow the mouth full of food and look up to find Charlie and Mrs. Swan waiting for me to answer. They are sitting on each of my sides.

"I've n-n-never had a home."

"Well when you worked with Dr. Cullen, where were you staying then?"

"I w-was living with Ed- um, with a friend. But I made th-that friend mad so I went back to being homeless." I shove more egg into my mouth. I don't hear more questions, so I continue stuffing my mouth.

After a few minutes, I hear Charlie sigh. "So what are you doing on this side of town, Kid?"

"I'm trying t-t-to get to P-Portland."

"Portland? What are you going to do there, honey?" Mrs. Swan asks.

"I'm gonna f-f-find a new bench to s-s-sleep on," I joke, but they just give me sad smiles.

I've never been good with jokes.

I've never really had much to laugh about.

"Well you still have a long way to get there. Why don't you stay with us for a little while? We'll give you food and a bed to sleep in. That way you can get all better," he says and I nod, not really knowing if I could stay very long.

Last time I stayed with someone for a long time, I ended up screwing that up.

I think I love the Swans. I don't wanna screw this up either.

Though my heart wants me to stay with them forever and maybe even pretend they're my family too.

~NLG~

"I d-don't feel good again," I cry.

Renee, as she wanted me to call her, clips my nails.

"It's still not time to take your medicine," she says.

"I don't wanna t-t-take more medicine." I rub my sleepy eyes with the back of my hands.

"I think I know why you're grumpy, Kid."

"Sorry," I mutter.

"Let's take you to the guestroom so you can take a nap."

"I like your r-r-room," I say and I mean it. Her room is lovely. It's very clean and organized and it smells just her lotion.

She smiles. "Come; let me show you where the room is."

The guestroom's bed is huge. My eyes start closing on their own and I can't wait to lie down, but I don't wanna make her mad so I wait until she tells me it's okay. I stand at the doorway playing with the hem of my shirt as she fixes the pillows. She looks up at me and waves me on.

"What are you waiting for, honey? Come," she sweetly encourages me.

I slowly crawl into the bed. I let out a low groan as my sore muscles and my nagging back rejoice as they feel the comfort and softness of the sheets and mattress. Once my head falls on the pillow, I don't dare move in fear that I'll lose the wonderful feeling of rest that I have missed for so long.

"I d-d-don't get a lot of chances to s-s-sleep out there," I say as Renee moves the covers over my body. I smile into the pillow.

She's tucking me in.

This is nice.

She places a cool rag over my forehead and rubs my shoulder.

"I imagine it must be scary. It breaks my heart knowing that there are kids like you out there," she says and caresses my cheek.

"Why are you s-s-so nice to me? I'm a s-s-stranger. You don't even know m-m-me." I fight my eyes to stay open and don't move them away from her pretty, soft face.

"You're not a stranger. Charlie always talked about you. He always talked about how sweet and innocent you are. He knew you didn't have a family and it made him so happy to know that you are such a good person regardless. He's changed a lot since he met you. I haven't seen him this optimistic in a long time. I believe it's been you who has helped him, not that doctor."

"Me?"

She chuckles. "Yes. And I'm not only helping you because my husband has taken a liking of you and because I can see what he sees, but because I hope someone helps my daughter like this if she is out there somewhere in a tough spot. I hope someone is giving her a warm bed to sleep in and food to keep her strengths up. But I also hope someone is giving her the love I failed to give her." She sighs. Her hand has stops soothing me as she tries to calm herself.

"I ho-hope you find her. I've ne-n-never had a mom, but I know you're a great one. And when you f-f-finally find her, I'm s-s-sure you'll make it up to her."

"You're so sweet, Kid," she whispers and kisses my forehead.

I let out a shaky breath. "When I'm all b-b-better and b-b-before I leave, I can help you clean the house."

She shakes her head and starts to rub my hand. "Your hand is full of scars, Kid."

"Yeah, p-p-probably from the cold or from s-s-sleeping on the streets. I don't really know."

"I wish I could take them away."

"You are."

~NLG~

As I open my eyes, I remember Renee placing different rags on my forehead as the old ones got warm and making me take more medicine before I would go back to sleep.

I stretch and I almost giggle at how great I feel. I still feel a little warm and my throat is a little dry, but I feel so rested and relaxed.

I get up and slip into the shoes Renee let me borrow. I smile as my backpack is by the door. I open it and find dirty Dolly staring at me. I grab her and give her a quick hug to remind her that I don't ever forget about her before placing her back.

I quietly leave the room and walk down the stairs. From a window I can see Charlie outside and my curiosity takes me to him.

I follow him as he makes his way to the back of their big house. He's talking to someone on his cellphone.

"Okay, keep me updated if you find anything new. I'm sure having a new, more experienced partner is going to help. We're getting close, Peter. I can just feel it." He puts his cell phone into his pocket and continues walking.

When he hears my footsteps he spins around and smiles as he recognize me. I don't think he realizes how happy I am to see him.

"Hey, little shadow," he calls me. "What are you doing following me outside? You need to get better and it's cold out here."

I run and wrap my arms around him. I cry into his chest and hold him tightly, hoping he doesn't think I'm crazy and lets me hug him.

"Thank you," I whimper. "I just w-w-wanted to thank you."

His moustache tickles as he kisses the top of my head. "You don't have to thank me, Kid."

"B-b-but you didn't have to help me."

"I couldn't have ignored it. Not only because you were someone that needed help, but because you've got this special place in my heart."

He lets me cry in his chest while I hope I never leave that place he's talking about.

I jump as he places his jacket around my shoulders. "Wanna take a walk, Kid?"

I smile and nod, wiping my face of the silly tears. Nothing has sounded more exciting in my life than taking a walk with Charlie.

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**Unusual kinda fluffly chapter! Haha**

**Next chapter will be up soon. **

**I love reading what theories you guys have so leave me some love and hugs for kid in the review box!**

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl where I post teasers and discussion topics. **

**P.S I'm writing a one shot for the Season of Our Discontent. Make sure to check out all of the entries. Of course I can't tell you right now which one I'm writing until the end. It's an angst contest…I thought I would give it a shot…haha.**


	21. Little Isabella

**Apologies for the tardiness of this update. I've been sick and my brain was clouded with medicine haha**

**No beta so please don't cringe too badly with my mistakes! **

**Anywho…**

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Chapter 21- Little Isabella

"Am I d-d-doing this right?"

"Yes, Kid, you're doing great. Just make sure not to burn yourself."

"I've ne-n-never cooked b-before. This is fun."

Renee giggles and hands me the salt. "Just a little. We don't want our soup to be salty."

I walked and talked so much with Mr. Charlie that I had forgotten I was hungry again until Renee suggested I help her make some lunch.

She later told me that she really just wanted to spend more time with me and was jealous of Charlie. I giggled in disbelief, but her sweet smile and bright eyes assured me she was being honest.

So we are now in the kitchen making soup and sandwiches while Charlie sits at the table. Renee says he makes great company while cooking.

"Now that you're feeling better, Kid, I've wanted to ask you a few questions," Renee says as she makes our sandwiches. "Where did you grow up? I doubt you've been homeless all your life."

"Oh, I um…I d-d-don't really know all of the f-f-facts, but I know I was adopted but then p-p-placed in foster homes. I didn't like em."

"Why is that?"

"I d-didn't really have l-luck with them. I don't think they e-e-ever liked me. I d-d-decided to be on my own instead of b-b-being in a p-place where p-p-people didn't want me around. I n-never wanted to be in the way."

"Was it hard deciding that? Wouldn't you want a family?"

I smile sadly at the bubbling soup. "There is nothing I wa-wa-want more, Mrs. Renee. But I'm s-s-starting to get used the idea that I'm n-n-not gonna have one."

Lunch is finally ready. Once again Renee and Charlie decide to sit on each of my sides. I tell them that I would love to meet Riley before I leave.

I don't know why, but every time I mention leaving, Charlie and Renee give each other funny looks. They assure me I'll get to meet him and that he's a lovely boy.

They tell me stories of his childhood and how much he's wanted a sibling. I listen in awe as Charlie gives me every detail he knows about the times his son has done something good in school or has gotten in trouble for silly things.

I giggle with them and eat chocolate cake, excited to hear another story. But for some reason they want to hear about my life.

I tell them about growing up in foster homes. I tell them how some parents were nice, but others not so much. I tell them about Maria and Cara and how I learned how to survive because of them and how I wish I could do so many things.

"What would be the first thing you would do if you had a home, Kid?" Charlie asks.

I smile because that question is easy. "I would a-a-ask if I c-c-could stay forever and if I could wa-watch cartoons," I say and they smile at my silliness. "But really…I w-w-would ask if they could t-t-teach me how to read and w-write. I wanna b-b-be smart. I don't wanna be a k-kid no more."

I stop talking as the real reason for wanting those things comes to my mind.

I don't only wanna learn and be smart for myself, but there's Edward.

As his name and face cross my mind, I realize how much I miss him. I think of him as the sun decides to go away and as the night sky takes over.

I stop thinking of the bad things that happened and remember the good.

I remember that night we sat on the roof and as he held me close because it was cold. I remember when he told me he would always think of me and I saddened at the realization that it may not be true. But if it is, I hope he remembers that I also promised that I wouldn't ever forget about him.

I decide that I need a new path. I need to start over again. Maybe going to Portland is the best idea and I may not forget Edward, Renee or Charlie, but I'll have a new chance. I have to believe that things will get a little bit better for me. Family or no family.

Something good is gotta happen. If there is a plan like that nice lady, Sandra, said, I have to open my eyes and start looking for it.

Charlie and Renee say that Riley will be coming home tomorrow and that I'll get to meet him.

We have dinner and I help Renee wash the dishes while Charlie gets the living room ready for what they call "movie night." I get excited as I've never done that before. Renee says we're just gonna watch a silly movie Charlie picked out and that I should go ahead and join him on the couch.

"Come on, kiddo," Charlie says and pats the spot next to him. I slowly sit, trying to hide the huge grin on my face.

I love everything about Charlie.

There just something about him. I only imagine my dad would be cool and sweet like him. Riley is a lucky boy.

He has a big smile and his big brown eyes sparkle as he excitedly tells me he's been looking forward to watching this movie. He says it's based on his favorite children's book and he thought I would like it.

When Renee finally joins in, Charlie plays the movie and soon enough I find myself lost in the images on screen. It's about a boy. His sister is mean to him and he's kind of a trouble maker. He dresses up in a wolf costume.

He runs away and Charlie just chuckles as I worriedly ask him if the boy is gonna be okay. Charlie just tells me to continue watching. But when he realizes my worry won't go away, he rubs my back and assures me that he's gonna be okay, but that's not the point of the story.

Max, that's the boy's name, lands on an island full of big, fluffy monsters.

I feel like I've seen this before and as soon as the realization hits me, I wanna share it with Charlie.

"Mr. Charlie it's the b-b-book. It's the b-b-book," I say excitedly and pat his leg.

"What book, darling?"

"Eh-Eh-Edward's book. I have it. I ha-have it in my b-backpack. Want me to s-s-show you? I can bring my ba-backpack and f-find the book. It's under Dolly. It's my f-f-favorite."

"You can show me later, sweetie. How about we finish watching the movie?" He tells me.

"Okay, s-sure." I agree with him and continue watching as Max goes on with his adventure with the monsters. My eyes and head begin to feel heavy, but I really wanna know if Max is gonna make it.

I don't remember how, but I end up with my head leaned against Charlie's shoulder. He's warm, smells nice and soon enough I realize I've been sleeping. I wake up and find Max having dinner with his mom on screen.

"Did he m-ma-make it home, Charlie?"

"Yes, sweetie, he did."

"Is his m-mom m-ad at him?"

"Maybe a little. But she's mostly happy he's finally back home."

"I wo-wo-would too."

~NLG~

"You d-d-don't want me to show you the b-b-book? It's the one f-f-from the movie."

Renee giggles as she places the cool rag over my forehead. "You can show it to us tomorrow."

"When Riley c-c-omes home?"

"Yes."

"I haven't cl-cleaned the house."

She laughs again. "I was never going to let you do it anyway. You're a guest in this house. Guests are treated special."

"Oh."

"On Monday, Charlie goes back to work, Riley goes to school and I have to meet with some people that are going to help me find my daughter. You can come along with me."

I smile at her as she takes my hand. "I d-d-don't think so. Maybe its t-t-time for me to go."

"Why don't you stay for a little while longer?"

"Because what if you f-f-find your da-daughter?"

"You'll just have someone else to meet."

"I'm o-o-older than her, right?"

"By one year."

"I wonder if I've e-e-ever met her."

"It's a big world, Kid."

"I guess," I yawn and Renee wishes me a goodnight and leaves.

After she closes the door, I get up, place the cool rag on the bedside table and grab my backpack. I take Dolly out, hug her to my chest and grab the book I wanted to show Renee and Charlie.

"D-D-Dolly, I finally know the re-real story!" I giggle. "I love it. You should ha-have seen it, D-D-Dolly."

I open the book. The pages are wrinkled and ruined from the times I've gotten caught in the rain, but the drawings and colors are still amazing.

I flip through the pages until I get to the middle where I placed Edward and my real mom's photos. I smile as Edward's eyes stare at me and I excitedly kiss his image.

"I miss you, Eh-Edward."

I then look at my mom's photo. The part of her face that was only visible is now even more faded. I sigh as I can't remember what it used to look like. I trace the small drawings on the baby blanket that was wrapped around me.

They are small pink teddy bears.

I used to be able to see a smile on my mom's lips before the photo was faded. I know she must have been happy to have me. The way she's holding me tight to her body in the picture is the same way Renee is holding Riley in their family photos. I can tell Renee loves him very much and would protect him from harm. I see the same with my mom as she holds my baby form.

Who took the picture?

I bet it was my dad.

If they were taking pictures, they must have been happy I was alive.

But why did they give me away?

Portland. I have to get to Portland. I just want an answer. I know that if I never get an answer, I won't be able to move on.

I need an answer.

~NLG~

I stretch my legs and arms as the new day has arrived. I grab Dolly from under my back and apologize for sleeping on top of her.

I hear voices downstairs and I quickly sit up and get dressed. I brush my teeth with the brush Renee gave me and poke at my face.

I look better. I'm still thin and my skin needs more lotion, but it's amazing how much better I look with just a day with Renee and Charlie.

I leave Dolly on top of the bed next to my book and start to head downstairs.

I stop when I hear more than two voices. It's an older man's voice. He sounds upset.

I hide behind a wall as I see Renee and Charlie talking to an older man with gray hair. He's wearing a big coat and his shoes look expensive.

"I just can't believe you have a stranger in this house. It's dangerous. You have a son to think about."

I cringe knowing he's talking about me.

"Dad," Renee interrupts. "I just wanted to tell you, because I knew you were going to make it worse if you saw her without me doing so."

"Of course! You have a teenage delinquent staying with you. How in the hell did you think I was going to react?"

"John," Charlie is now talking. "She's not a delinquent. I've met her before. She's a very sweet girl."

"She's homeless, Charles. Why else would she be homeless if she wasn't trouble?"

I cover my mouth with my hand. I guess this means my time here is over. I bet he'll convince them to throw me out.

I continue listening as they bicker until from the kitchen a small boy runs to Charlie.

"Dad, can we go play?" The little boy asks. Charlie ignores his question as he continues to argue with John but pats the brown headed boy on the shoulder.

It takes me a few seconds until I remember him from the photos Charlie had shown me and from the ones on the walls.

It's Riley.

He huffs in disappointment as his father ignores him, but suddenly looks up and catches me looking at him. His brown eyes widen and his pale skin turns pink.

He examines my face for any sign of trouble but I guess he doesn't find any as he quickly smiles at me.

"I've already talked to Jennifer and Mag. They said they would be willing to help her," Renee says.

"You can't replace Marie with that girl, sweetie. You guys need to stop with this. You're going mad," John says.

"It's your and my father's fault anyway!" Charlie shouts. "And we're not trying to replace, Marie. We're just trying to help a young girl."

My eyes quickly go to Renee as she starts to speak. "All we have to do is find her a nice home. I know Sandra works down at the foster homes. She's been working with teens for years and has a room available. We'll just have to convince Kid."

I bite down on my lower lip in disappointment. They were going to get rid of me soon enough. Well I don't need anybody telling me that it's time to leave. I know how to show myself the door.

I run upstairs and grab my clothes. Even though Renee washed them three times, they still smell like smoke and the dirtiness of the streets.

I stuff Dolly and my book into the backpack and hang it over my shoulder. They are all standing in front of the door. I start wondering through which door I can leave when suddenly I feel someone tapping my hand. I look down and find Riley standing in front of me.

"Hi," he says.

"Hey."

"My name is Riley."

"I know."

"This is the part where you tell me your name," he says causing me to chuckle.

Smartass.

"Kid."

"Kid?"

"You g-g-got a problem with that?" I ask in a teasing tone so he'll know I'm not really mad.

He giggles. "No, it's cool. So you're the homeless girl."

"So you're the s-s-spoiled brat?"

He smirks.

"Fair enough. What are you doing with that backpack? Are you leaving?" I just nod. "But we just met."

"It's t-t-time for me to keep l-looking."

"For what?"

"A b-b-bench." My joke makes him giggle.

"You're silly."

"Do you know a d-d-door I could use to le-leave without b-b-being seen?"

"Well I can never get the backdoor to open. It has a secret code my dad won't tell me, but…" He taps his little chin in wonder as I impatiently wait. "Oh, Marie's window!"

"Who?"

"Marie, my sister. She got lost when she was baby, but my parents still have a room for her. They swear they're gonna find her and that's why they have a room ready. Anyway, there is a way you can jump from the window onto a balcony. There is this tree…"

"You've d-d-done this before?"

He smirks and shrugs his shoulders. "I'm a smart guy."

I roll my eyes at him. "Well s-s-smart guy, can you sh-sh-show me?"

"Of course."

I follow him as I still hear the shouting from downstairs.

"Don't get freaked, but my parents still have her baby stuff," Riley says as he stands in front of his sister's door.

"Why wo-wo-would I freak?"

"Because she would be 17 now and has never been in this house. Anyway, here we go." He opens the door and lets me step inside.

I gasp as my eyes take in the room.

The walls are painted pink, the small bed that is up against the wall is covered in a purple bedspread and a few stuffed pink animals lie on the pillow.

"I've told my parents to at least change it up and put some teen stuff. I mean I'm only twelve, but I'm pretty sure a teen girl wouldn't want to stare at this kiddy stuff."

I ran my fingers over the bedspread and smile at Riley's nonsense.

"Did they b-b-buy this s-s-stuff after your sister disappeared?"

"Nope. They've told me they bought it before and that Mom is gonna put it away because her brain doctor told her so, but she hasn't done it. I think she thinks that if she puts it away, it'll mean she's given up on finding Marie. She doesn't want to give up and neither do I. I can't wait for them to find her. I think it would be pretty cool to have an older sister."

I smile at Riley and glance around a little longer.

He walks over to the window and lets me know that he's ready whenever I am.

I run my finger tips over the spines of the baby books by a small dusty crib. The Swans really wanted to keep their daughter. My heart breaks for them.

My eyes land inside the crib and on a small blanket. My heart races as I pick it up. I run the soft material through my fingers and tears land on the small, familiar pink teddy bears.

"Kid? Are you okay?" Riley asks.

I don't know.

I don't know what's happening.

My hands begin to shake the blanket as they bring it to my face. I close my eyes and take in a deep breath. The blanket smells of old and unwashed, but also a little like something I know. I've smelled this before.

Suddenly I feel a hand grab my arm and pull me out of my thoughts.

"What the hell are you doing in my granddaughter's room?!" John, whose blue eyes glare down on me, shouts.

"I brought her here," Riley says in my defense, but John isn't listening.

"Are you stealing? What's in this backpack?" He asks and roughly snatches it off my shoulder making it sting.

"Dad, leave her alone," Renee says as she and Charlie run into the room.

"I'm going to show you the thief that she is!" John rips open my backpack and pulls out my sweater, my water bottle and throws them on the ground. He then pulls out my book and carelessly throws it as well.

"Puh-puh-please those are my things," I cry in desperation.

He doesn't listen and roughly grabs Dolly.

He is about to throw her too when it's taken from him.

Charlie holds Dolly in his shaky hands. "Isabella. It's little Isabella," he cries. Big, fat tears escape his red eyes and fall down his cheeks.

I don't know why he's calling Dolly by my name. "Kid?" He asks in a shaky voice. "Kid, where did you find this? Where did you find little Isabella?"

I look around and find Renee, Riley and John all staring at me, but I can't seem to make the words come out of my mouth.

"Please answer me, Kid," he begs. He desperately shakes me by the shoulders, hoping an answer will slip until his eyes land on the small blanket I'm holding in my own trembling hands.

He gasps, lets me go and drops Dolly on the ground.

I quickly snatch her up and run pass Renee and out the door.

"Kid!"

"Kid, sweetie!"

"Kid, wait!"

I ignore them. When I finally make it outside, I start to run with all my might. The cool air hits my lungs and the sun glares at me, but I don't stop running.

I sob as I realize that I've left my book with Edward and my mom's pictures inside back at the Swans, but I have to keep running.

I run for a long time until I reach the city.

I don't really know where I am, but I have to catch my breath. I sit in an alley and cry into my hands.

I have no idea what is going on.

I'm so confused and my head hurts. I sob into Dolly's hair.

Maybe I should go back?

Maybe I should explain Dolly.

My mind spins with what just happened. Why was Charlie so upset about Dolly? Why was he calling her Isabella?

"Dolly? Dolly, are you okay?" I take a look at her. There is small tear on the side of her neck, but she's gonna make it.

"Dolly…Isabella?"

My confused mind doesn't get a chance to untangle my thoughts because I'm suddenly being pulled up by my hair and Dolly is flying across the alley.

"Hey little, girl!" The bitter smell of the blonde man's breath hits my face. "You remember me?" he asks as I struggle in his arms.

"You remember us?" A red headed woman asks.

I stop struggling as I recognize their faces and voices and I remember that night.

Edward.

I remember the night I saved Edward.

"No!" I screech, but the blonde man covers my mouth with his dirty hand and shoves me against the brick wall.

"Are you going to punish her, James?" The girl asks. I can see now with the light of day that she's very young and so is he.

"I am, Vicky."

I sob into his hand as I continue to struggle.

"Yes, little girl! It's us. Remember when you hit me on the head? I remember. I do."

I refuse to answer and continue to fight him.

"I don't think she remembers, Vicky."

"What are you going to do, James?"

He chuckles. "I'm going to make her," he says and suddenly I feel a harsh and painful blow to my face and find myself out of breath on the ground. I see his boot move towards my face, but before I try to flinch away, darkness greets me while I hear my name.

"Kid!"

That voice.

That sweet voice I feared I would never hear again.

Maybe he's real.

Maybe he has been looking for me.

Maybe I'm dead.

Suddenly I don't feel anything anymore.

* * *

***Runs***

***Comes back***

**I know! Another evil cliffie. And Kid, will you stay put?!**

**Shiz is about to explode.**

**I see about eight or so more chapters.**

**Leave me some hugs for Kid in the review box or another slap for me for the cliffie. I promise the next update will happen sooner as I'm no longer sick…maybe sick in the head.**

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl.**

**See ya and hugs for Kid! **

***runs off again***


	22. Sweet Words

**AHH! I will forever thank you for your reviews, favs, alerts and pimping skills! Thank you all! **

**I proof read, but no promises of an error free chapter…**

**This ended up being the longest chapter…**

**Here is Edward.**

* * *

Chapter 22- Sweet Words

EPOV

Each squeak of a nurse's shoe or the crying of a sick baby drives me further into madness. I sit in the waiting area of the ER, hoping someone will have the damn decency of coming to talk to me and let me know how Kid is.

I had been praying to find Kid for the last month with so much desperation. I'm losing my mind just thinking that I may lose her again. She looked horrible as she was rushed into the ER.

Those motherfuckers hurt her.

They hurt my poor, sweet and innocent Kid. They hurt her because of me.

Who would have known that the night in which Kid saved my life would come back to haunt her and land her in a hospital? She only knew that night had brought me to her. It seems everything from the night has ended up hurting her.

It's my fault. All of it.

~NLG~

"_Hey, Edward, hurry the fuck up," Mike says as we walk down the street on our way to yet another bar._

_I've already had too much to drink, but it's not like it matters anyway. There is nobody to think of. There is nobody to stop for._

"_Hold the hell up, Mike. I'm trying to walk."_

"_Well at your rate, it'll be time for breakfast and all the mad honeys will be gone."_

"_Please don't talk like that, douche."_

_We keep walking for a few minutes when I see an old man digging in the trash. I stare as he searches for what I guess is food._

_I feel bad for the poor bastard. Even in my drunken state of mind I can tell he isn't all there. He's talking to himself. He's having an argument about how he can't make to work in the morning._

_A little further up ahead the street, a young girl, dirty as can be walks towards the park. She doesn't stop when Mike says something stupid to her._

_What's up with this town and the homeless? Is the money problem that bad?_

_Poor girl._

_Maybe someone should help her._

_She disappears into the darkness of the night and I know for sure I'm not going to go after her and try to help her. Her parents should anyway. _

_It's not my responsibility._

_It's not my fault the world is so fucked up._

_She can probably take care of herself._

_And really? Who gives a shit?_

~NLG~

The guilt is overwhelming. I bury my hands into my hair and pull fucking hard as if trying to give myself pain and punishment.

After I went with Mike that night to the bar, I got pissed at the blonde fucker for existing and his stupid gang. I started talking shit to them and they ended up busting my face.

Then for some reason I will never really understand, that sweet girl that has found a permanent space in my heart, saved my life.

I should have asked them to leave her alone, but I was chocking on my own blood and stupidity to say anything at all. They ran after her and saw who she was. She managed to get away and I took her into my home for my own selfish reasons.

Reasons she eventually noticed and threw in my face like they needed to be. I was supposed to take care of her and give her what life was too much of a bitch to give her. I was supposed to give her warmth and not the kind she would find with the comfort of a blanket, but from the soul like every human being deserves.

But I failed her.

I was too damn selfish.

I let her slip away.

And now here I am, hoping that she's alive and that I'll get the opportunity to make it up to her. I want to tell her that I've finally learned my lesson and that I finally figured it out. I've finally realized what I was supposed to do.

I don't quite know how I'll say it, but I won't waste more time.

That silly girl that talks to her doll and loves to watch cartoons and eat toast with strawberry jam will be happy. If anybody deserves happiness, it's her.

We'll do whatever she wants. I'll be whoever she needs. It'll all be for her. We'll just have to work some things out. We'll get there.

~NLG~

"Son?"

I snap my eyes open and find Carlisle standing in front of me. My heart is pounding from waking up so suddenly and I try to catch my breath. I curse at my body and mind for being exhausted and falling asleep.

"Dad, how is she?" I ask.

He gives me a small smile and sits next to me. I scoot back a bit. I'm not used to him anymore. I have spent so many days without him that it's like he's a stranger. His blue eyes and blonde hair look different. He looks older. But the kindness I've always known he has, lives on. I can see it in his tired face.

He places his hand over my shoulder and it reminds me of all the times he did that when I was a sick and weak boy.

"She's going to be okay," he says and the breath I exhale is strong, leaving me to slump in my seat. "But she's going to be in pain for some time."

"What did those assholes do to her?"

"They gave her a concussion, her face, especially around her eyes, is swollen and she has two broken ribs. They also managed to break her left hand, I'm assuming when she raised it to protect herself it got in the way of that man's boot. We had to operate on her."

"Shit," I cry into my fists. "I yelled, Dad, I yelled for them to stop, but they wouldn't stop hitting her."

"I know, son. Don't blame yourself."

"Why does this happen? She's just a kid."

"It happens every day. We live in a violent and cruel world. But some are lucky. They are lucky to have someone like you to save them."

I scoff at his words. "If Kid had any luck she would be home right now, arguing with her parents about going to the mall or about a stupid boy she wants to date, like any normal teenager. She wouldn't be in a hospital because she got beaten by some maniacs."

"Edward, I know sometimes it's hard to look at things positively, because of so much wrong that happens. Kids was given a horrible start to her life, but imagine if you hadn't come along? She would have been dead."

I just nod, trying my best to agree with him. Maybe he's right. But then again it's because of me that they went after her.

He sighs when he realizes he didn't manage to convince me.

"Can I see her?" I ask with a shaky voice.

"Not yet. They're moving her to another room."

"Is she awake?"

"No. She's unconscious. She probably will be for a few hours because of the drugs."

"Can you tell me when I can see her?"

"Of course."

"Who did you put her down as?"

"What you told me to. What her birth certificate says. Isabella Marie Dwyer."

I take a deep breath still in disbelief.

After the argument Jasper and Peter had, Peter convinced his boss to remove Jasper from the mission to find the missing Swan daughter. Jasper was heated. But I gave him the idea that finding Marie on his own would be the best kind of payback on that asshat.

So Jasper and I spent the two weeks after that looking for a Maria and Cara Caballero. Kid befriended them while they were in foster care and they potentially had her birth certificate. It took us a while, but we finally found them. Cara was in prison for theft and drugs, serving a lengthy sentence.

But Maria was a different story.

She had been in and out of juvy and even in prison for different shit. But then she got pregnant from an older man that just left her to deal with it by herself.

She cleaned herself up and worked two jobs to support her daughter, Isabella.

Yeah, she named her after Kid.

She was so happy to know that Kid's parents were looking for her. She, like so many of us graced by Kid's presence, swore nobody in this world deserved more happiness than her. She claimed to love Kid like a sister. When things started to get worse in her own life, she would always remember that tiny white girl that was so kind, innocent and loving regardless of what the world did. She realized if she wanted to be a good person, she could and didn't have to be so angry.

She kept the birth certificate hoping to find Kid one day to return it. She gave it to Jasper without hesitation and asked for us to let Kid know that she misses her and wishes her the best.

"You'll get to see her soon. I promise," Carlisle says.

"Okay," I whisper. I'm tired and starving, but my worry for Kid is paralyzing.

"Are you going to call the Swans?"

"I'm not. They deserve to suffer a little more."

"They've been looking for her for over a decade."

"They shouldn't have given her away in the first place."

"Think about it, Edward. Don't you think Kid would love to know she does in fact have a family that wants her back?"

"It's going to be so overwhelming to her. Imagine thinking you have nobody in this world and all of a sudden you wake up and find that not only do you have two parents, but also a brother and grandparents who want to shove their way back into your life as if nothing happened? As if at some point in their life they didn't think you were invaluable and a burden. It's going to be hard for her to understand."

"It will be, but they will love her as she will love them."

I don't respond to that. Somehow I know it's true. Kid will forgive them. She already loves the Swans. She'll find it in her sweet heart to forgive them and let them into her life.

That only means one thing for my selfish soul.

That means I would no longer be of importance to her and I can't stand that thought. Something within me aches and stings, but I've learned my lesson.

I won't make the same mistakes anymore.

I'll hurt for Kid if that's what makes her happy.

Dad says for me to grab something to eat while they get Kid ready, but I'm not hungry anymore. Instead I answer a call from Alice.

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, a few bruises and a knock on the head, but she's gonna make it, Al."

"Oh, thank God!" Alice shouts. "Mom and I have been worried sick since your first call. I know Kid will make it through, she's a tough girl."

"Yes, very strong."

"I still can't believe you found her and just in time."

"I guess Kid does have some luck. She was almost out of Seattle. I'm so glad Jasper and I came back. I hate to imagine what could have happened."

"Have you seen her?"

"Not yet."

"Can you tell her that I love her and that I can't wait to see her again? Oh, that once I can get out of work, I'll be there?"

I chuckle. "Anything else?"

"Nah, that's it."

"Has Jasper called you?"

"He said he had to go back to work. His boss called him after he followed the ambulance to the hospital."

~NLG~

I nervously walk down the hospital hall towards Kid's room. The nurses look exhausted and the cleaning people silently and robotically do their job. As I pass some opened door rooms, the crying families and patients make me nervous and I can't wait to reach Kid's room.

When I finally reach it, my heart starts to thump and I nervously push the door open. I don't know what I'm nervous for. Dad already said Kid would be fine. But this will be the first time Kid will see me since we had that awful argument and since she went back to the streets.

My first vision of her since then was her unconscious and bloody body as she lay in that dirty alley, waiting for someone to save her.

I wish things could be different.

As I enter, I slowly make it past the bathroom and see Kid's legs under the bed covers from where I'm standing. I take a deep and difficult breath and continue. When my eyes land on her tiny and broken form, I can feel the knot in my throat and my vision becomes blurred.

She is too small. Smaller than I remember.

The hospital gown is too big on her.

The observant, strong and spirited girl is currently replaced by a frozen and broken one. Her entire face is one purple and red bruise. Her eyes and lips are swollen and I stare at her chest as it slowly rises and falls while her bandaged broken left hand resting over her belly.

I shove my hands into my hooded jacket and take a seat by her side. The constant beeping of her heart rate and her slow but steady breaths keep me assured that she's survived and that I haven't lost her. I gently place my hand over her right one and softly caress her pale skin with my thumb.

"Hey, Kid," I whisper. I can barely hear myself. I think I've lost my voice. "I'm sorry this happened. It shouldn't be this way. You shouldn't be here," I cry. "You know when you left, I dreamt of you every night."

I kiss her hand and continue caressing it. "There you would be making me mad because you broke something or said something you weren't supposed to. Then I would wake up in an empty apartment and get so angry that it wasn't real. You weren't real. I would worry myself sick. Then it would rain making my worry worse. I would drive around looking for you. Sometimes I would be so tired from work, but I couldn't give up. I realized then how important you had become to me and how badly I fucked up."

Kid doesn't move as I talk and she probably isn't hearing me, but I have to say what I feel. I don't think I ever said it enough. I never gave her what she wanted and what I had all along for her.

"Please forgive me, Kid. I don't know how I made it so long without your strength. I hope you know that you weren't a burden and that we both needed each other in some weird way. I'm sorry that I made you feel less and that I never showed you how important you are. You're a beautiful person that deserves the world."

I roughly wipe my face with the back of my hand, stand up and kiss Kid on the forehead.

~NLG~

"Are you Edward?" A short and thin woman wearing a purple dress and badge asks.

I look over towards Kid who has yet to wake up.

She continues to be still and I return my gaze to the pestering woman.

"Yes."

"Hello, my name is Charlotte. I'm a social worker for the state of Washington looking over cases for foster youth," she says and I'm already expecting to not like her. She sits in the chair next to the window and starts documenting in her notebook. "I have it in my records that Isabella Marie Dwyer, a minor and missing foster care child, was brought to this hospital. Now, you aren't a legal guardian. Am I correct, Mr. Cullen?"

"You are," I mutter.

"What is your relation to Isabella?"

"Kid is a friend."

"You're a seventeen year old girl's friend?"

"Yes."

"Are you aware that she belongs to the state?"

"No, please enlighten me."

"Mr. Cullen, Isabella does not have a legal guardian meaning the state of Washington is responsible for her well being. In saying that," she pauses, writes something and then continues, "Once Isabella is well enough to leave the hospital she will return to our foster care program."

"I'll adopt her."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Why not?"

"You would have to meet the criteria which includes being of age."

"Well my mom will adopt her."

"She too would have to meet the criteria and that can be a lengthy process."

"So just tell me what you really want, Charlotte. You're going to take Kid away from me."

I don't realize I'm shouting until I feel my mother's hand on my forearm and her voice asking me to calm down.

"Mom, tell this woman that you're going to adopt Kid."

"Honey, calm down."

"Mom, they want to take her back to foster homes. She's seventeen. What the hell is she going to do there? Kid is special. She needs a real home."

"Foster homes are real homes, Mr. Cullen."

I glare at Charlotte while Mom continues to try to get me to calm down.

"I will return later in the day. Your visitation will probably be in question. I don't see any need for it."

"Are you fuc…"

"Edward, why don't you take a seat?" Mom asks.

I sit down and the fucking social worker leaves.

"Mom, she can't deny me the right to visit Kid."

"How is she doing?"

"She's asleep. Carlisle says she should wake up any minute now."

"Poor, baby," she whispers as she caresses Kid's forehead. It's the only part of her face that isn't bruised.

"Why can't you adopt her, Mom?"

She silently giggles. "You ask as if it's very simple. You remind me of when you were a boy and wanted something so bad you would throw a fit."

"Whatever," I grumble.

"I love Kid very much and I would do anything to make her comfortable, but I'm not the one that's going to do it." Esme nervously looks back at Kid.

"Mom? What are you not saying?"

"You'll see."

"Tell me."

"The Swans…"

"Fuck," I mutter.

"They're coming here. They're coming for Kid."

"How do you know?"

"Charles called me."

She's right. I want to throw a fit.

"Do they know it's…do they know their daughter is…Kid?"

"No, I don't think so. He just said they had finally called him with the news he had been waiting for years and that his Marie was in this hospital. Are you ready for them?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that Kid is ready."

"It is what she's wanted the most."

"It is."

~NLG~

"So they finally were caught?"

"Yes, the sick fucks were having lunch at McDonalds."

"I swear I wish I would have been given the chance to kick the living hell out of them."

"Nah, you've always sucked at fighting," Jasper jokes over the phone.

"Fuck you."

"You're welcome."

"Why did you have to go tell the Swans?"

"It's the right thing to do."

"Yeah, but I'm a selfish prick."

"Are they there yet?"

I glance around the hospital hall and curse Jasper out when I see a very distraught Charles and Renee walking towards Kid's room.

"Shit, they just got here. I'll talk to you later."

I hang up and instinctively stand in front of Kid's door just as they make it to me.

"Cullen?" Charles asks. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I, uh, I should ask you the same thing."

"Step away from the door, Edward," Carlisle says as he stands behind the Swans.

"Who is this person?" Another man asks. He's a tall and older guy. His brown leather jacket over his button shirt looks expensive as fuck and his icy blue eyes match Renees'.

"He's a former employee of mine, John," Charles says and glares at me. He's a fucking frightening man. I know he knows and enjoys it. "Move, boy. My daughter is in there and you have no business being in my way."

"Well," I choke. "Maybe it's not my fault you finally decide to show up for her after all these and play house."

His jaw tenses and Renee looks down to the floor. It's when I finally pay attention to the book she's holding to her chest.

My book.

Its Kid's favorite.

She clutches to it tightly alongside another book I don't recognize. She lets the tears fall down her face.

I've hit a nerve. Charles looks like he's about to give me a bruise of my very own, but he refrains.

"Son, let the Swans in," my father pleads. "You and I know it's time."

Like a petulant child that didn't get his way, I smack the door, mutter a few curse words and push myself back into the room.

I don't even bother holding the door for them and head over to Kid's side, ready to go to battle for her. She's still asleep, hurt and vulnerable. I hold back the tears as I hear the door open again and the voices of the people that will eventually take her away from me. I stare at Kid's pretty, little face, hoping like hell those bruises don't hurt much when she finally wakes up. I hope that when she finally opens her eyes and finds the Swans next to her ready to take her with them, the bruises in her heart and soul don't hurt either. Years of abandonment will do that to a person. I don't want any pain for her.

I continue staring at Kid's face, as I feel and hear their presence.

They are silent.

My heart is once again thumping against my chest as I wait for their reaction.

Suddenly I jump as Renee lets out a loud whimper. I hear Charles comforting her, but I can tell by the cracking of his voice that he's not in a better shape.

I don't know if they are distraught to see her this way or incredibly happy that they have found her. Maybe it's a little of both.

Renee slowly makes her way over to the other side of Kid's bed. "I knew it," she whispers. The pain still very much present in her voice and face. "I could feel it, Charlie. I knew Kid was special. I knew she had a place in my heart from the moment I met her." She looks adoringly at her daughter. She gently caresses the sides of Kid's face and moves strands of hair away. "I knew she was a part of us." She kisses Kid's forehead and looks at her husband.

For the first time I feel sorry for the man. He's in shock. He's completely frozen in place. His hands are shoved into his jean pockets and his red rimmed eyes and stubble make me forget the rich and cold man I thought he was.

"What a damn coincidence," John, the older man, spits.

I knew I didn't like the fucker.

"A day after the homeless girl runs off, we get a call saying she's your daughter. Renee, you need to demand a paternity test. I don't believe this bullshit!"

I'm a second away from punching his damn face in, but I don't have to do anything when I hear Charles' voice.

"John, get the hell out of this room, before I forget you're my wife's father and do something unkind."

"Charles…"

"We'll talk about tests later; now get the hell out of here!"

John stumbles back. I guess he's not used to Charles talking like that to him. He huffs and finally leaves.

Charles walks over to Renee's side, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close to him as she sobs into his chest. His eyes never leave Kid's sleeping face.

I want to slap myself for being a moron.

Kid looks just like him. How did I miss it before? How did they?

There is a soft look in his tired brown eyes and small smile on his mouth. He knows it.

He knows he's found his daughter.

~NLG~

"Why isn't she waking up?"

"Everyone can have a different reaction to the drugs."

"Can't you run another test on her head or something?"

"We could, but we already did, Edward. There is nothing wrong with her."

"Well she isn't waking up!" I raise my voice, but Dad doesn't even flinch.

"Are the Swans still in her room?"

I sigh and nod. "They're not even talking. They're just there, waiting for her to wake up so they can take her away."

Carlisle smiles at my stupid comments. "That girl means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

I chuckle unable to deny it. "But not like 'that.' But she does mean everything, Dad. She saved me…more than once."

"I know and for that I am grateful to her. It's great having my son back and being the smartass that he is."

I roll my eyes, but laugh anyway.

"I have to check on my other patients and check back with the clinic," he says, pats my shoulder again, reminding me of when I was a boy. He starts to walk away, but I find myself calling his name. He quickly stops and looks over to me.

I smile and slowly give him a hug. "I've missed you, Dad."

"I've missed you too, Son."

"I'm sorry for being angry with you. It was never your fault."

He pulls away and chuckles, looking away. He's never been good at showing his real feelings, but I still understand him and that's all that matters.

We're going to be okay.

He's going to be my dad again.

Another thing I have to thank Kid for.

~NLG~

Dolly is all washed and dried. Luckily, the older nurse on Kid's floor knows how to sew. It doesn't take her but a few minutes to fix Dolly's neck.

With Dolly in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, I head over to Kid's room. I find Renee sitting next to her reading her _Where the Wild Things Are_.

Kid's favorite book.

She finishes the last page and finally realizes I'm in the same room. She smiles and places the book on the nightstand.

"You don't know how many times I dreamt of being able to do that with my baby girl." She sighs and continues caressing Kid's right hand. "When I was younger and convinced that I would find her in no time, I had a pile of books ready to read to her. I wanted her to love reading as much I did. I talked to your mom about the time she spent with you and your family. It kills me to know what kind of life she has lived," Renee silently cries. "It's all because of us. It's because we didn't fight for her."

"If it makes you feel a little better, Kid, even though she didn't know how to read, loved books. She would spend hours in my bookroom, looking through them." I smile at the memory.

"Well, we're going to fix that. She'll be able to read, write, do and have whatever her little heart wants."

"You really don't have a doubt she's your daughter?"

"Not one."

"Why?"

"I just know it, Edward. My father can have his stupid test so he can shut up, but I know Isabella is mine. She's my daughter."

"Why do you think her last name isn't Swan on the birth certificate? Why is it your maiden name and why are her first and middle names switched?"

"I don't know and I don't really care at this moment. It probably has something to do with my father. All I care is for her to get better."

I couldn't agree more.

~NLG~

Kid still hasn't woken up. Dad ordered another scan to be done tomorrow morning. I've decided to be more optimistic in life and not to worry as much. But I know deep down its making me sick.

The Swans finally left the room. They are off giving their DNA to prove what they already know. I still don't like the idea of losing Kid. I know I have to get used to it and realize that she was never mine, but I'm putting it off for later.

I finally get to have a moment alone with her.

I place Dolly by her side, making sure she's under the covers too. I know Kid would worry for her. That damn doll has made me lose my mind I guess. Now I'm worried about her too. After all, she's been Kid's only companion through all these years and for that I love her too.

"Kid, you really have to wake up now. Dolly doesn't like me." I say and take her right hand in mine, pressing my lips to it. "You also have people waiting. I'm not the only one waiting to give you the world. You have to open your eyes and take what belongs to you. I'm not just talking about money, because let's face it, Kid, your parents are banking it." I chuckle at my own dry humor. "But I'm also talking about love."

I fix Kid's oxygen tube. It's falling off her face.

"Yes, Kid, love. Yeah, I know it now. Your parents love you. They also can't wait to show you. And then there's me. I can't wait to show you."

I press my lips to forehead.

"I love you."

* * *

***Sigh* I love fluffy words.**

**I don't know much about medical "stuff" only from my brief and failed attempt at job shadowing at a hospital so don't come tellin' me I missed something haha…**

**So not really a cliffie and a few things happened. **

**What's going on with Kid? No, she's not in a coma.**

**Leave me some love and hugs for Kid in the review! **

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl where I post teasers and discussion topics.**

**Adios y hasta pronto! **


	23. Young

**What is this? An update already?**

**Yes, when the inspiration hits…it hits.**

**Long ass A/N at the bottom.**

* * *

Chapter 23- Young

EPOV

Kid moves her hand and the whole world stops and looks on. We hold our breaths and don't dare move a muscle.

She takes a deep breath before letting out a low whimper. She scrunches her face with her eyes still shut tight and bites into her lower lip.

She roughly moves her left arm on top of her head and a loud sob escapes her.

"She's still somewhat asleep," Carlisle says. "She probably felt the pain of her broken hand." He gets closer to her. "Kid?" He asks, but she doesn't answer.

Renee and Charlie look on with worry in their face.

They get their results today and their lawyer is already getting ready to legally claim Kid…or Isabella. I don't know how all that shit works. I mean who knew you could give your kid up and then change your damn mind as if she was a goddamn toy?

Yeah, I'm still bitter about it.

In these twenty-four hours I've spent with them, I've come to realize that they are good people. But the more I think about it, the more I know that I would never give away my flesh and blood because she or he was a burden. Or for any reason.

"Kid?" Carlisle repeats.

She just whimpers at the mention of her name.

"Why don't you call her Isabella? That's her name," Renee suggests.

"She never went by that. It wouldn't make sense," he responds and continues to call her.

She squirms in her bed, yanking her covers off with her feet. I pull them back up.

"You're gonna get cold, Kid," I say and suddenly she snaps those big brown eyes I love so much and looks my way. "Hi," I whisper.

Her eyes are glued to my face. She doesn't even blink. "Hey, Kid. How are you feeling?" She moves her broken hand again. She scrunches her face in pain and starts to cry.

"Shh, it's okay, Kid," I try to assure her, but she continues to sob. Tears roll down her face and her front teeth dig into her bottom lip. She places her good hand on her face and cries into it. She doesn't respond when Dad tries to get her to move her hands back on the bed.

"She still seems to be under the affects of the drugs," Charles says. "Why is she acting like she's a baby?"

"It's her reaction to the medication."

"To act like a baby?"

"Everyone can have different reactions," Carlisle responds.

Kid breaks my heart. Her piercing cries and deep sighs drive right into in aching part of it. I feel useless.

Forgetting that Charles and Renee are looking, I get as close as I can to my sweet girl and take her right hand in mine and give it a light squeeze. "Kid?"

She quickly stops crying and finally places her hands back to her sides. Her cheeks are flushed red, result of her crying fit. She gives me a few sighs before she stays completely still while her brown eyes stay on my face.

"You're gonna be okay. I promise. I know it hurts, but you're a tough girl," I say. She doesn't respond, but I know she recognizes my voice. Her sweet attention assures me of this.

I spot Dolly's blonde hair sticking out from under the covers and grab her. Kid concentrates on her as I place the rag doll to where she can see it. She still nips at her bottom lip, but her concern is now placed on the doll.

"If you move, Dolly is gonna fall," I warn her.

Kid finally stays still as her good hand caresses the doll's face. She whimpers when I start to pull away, so I take it as she doesn't want for me to leave her.

I wonder if it'll be the same once she's finally out of her drugged up daze.

"She really likes you," Renee says.

"Hmm."

I chuckle at Charles' response.

I really hope she still loves me. I hope her little broken heart still has room for me.

~NLG~

Alice comes to visit. She animatedly talks to Kid while she just stares at my strange sister with wide eyes. I have to remind Alice that Kid isn't actually a child and that she can talk to her normally. But she says Kid is "cute." My sister doesn't have an expansive vocabulary.

She wants to brush Kid's long and tangled hair, but she's too bruised up, so Alice settles with sitting with her and keeping her company. Even in her daze, Kid likes Alice. She even smiles at her. I feel silly at my instant jealousy.

Kid finally falls back to sleep. Carlisle says that's a good thing. She's seems to be exhausted. He says she's extremely underweight for the drugs they had to use with her and her body is fighting for her recovery.

The brain scans come back. Again, there is nothing abnormal about them, so he's convinced her strange behavior is because of the medication.

I can see that my sister also feels remorse and guilt. I hear her silently apologize to Kid for not being the sister she promised she would be to her. Alice heads back home and promises to come again.

Mom tries to convince me to go rest, but I need to be here when Kid wakes up. I can't dare myself to leave, but I do treat myself to a tasteless sandwich down in the cafeteria.

"How the hell did you get my daughter to like you?" I look up from my table to find Charles Swan holding his own sandwich.

"It's a long story," I mutter. "But I really don't know why she does. I don't deserve her affection."

"Like hell you do," he mumbles and sits in front of me without asking for permission.

Very Mr. Swan like.

"How do you know her?"

I tell Charles everything as he eats his sandwich.

I tell him how for the past two years I've been a poor excuse of a son and brother. I tell him how I spent so much time hurting myself and getting into trouble and how one lucky night someone that had it much worse than I will ever have it saved my life.

I tell him how I tried to repay her and tried to save her, but once again she ended up saving me and I acted like a fool.

I don't tell him about the argument and what was said. I have a feeling Charles would cut my balls off if he knew I yelled at his daughter.

"How was she when you first met her? Did she ever mention wanting a family? Does she hate her parents for abandoning her?" Charles asks.

I almost want to tell him that Kid hates his fucking guts to make him feel bad, but I would be insulting Kid's sweet heart and soul.

"She never said one bad thing about you. At times she would make excuses for you and Renee. She would also wonder how you looked and if you thought of her."

"Every single day."

"She just wanted to be loved and be in a family. Sometimes, it felt like that's all she ever talked about," I say and his eyes quickly fall and fill with tears. "She has a picture of your wife."

"Yeah," he says in a broken voice. "We found it in the book she was carrying in her backpack."

"She would stare at that thing all the time. It was as if she hoped that by staring at it, her mom would appear. She would talk in her sleep. She would ask for you…well for 'dad.'"

"I'm here now. I'm never going to leave her again. I'm going to spend my time making it up to her." He wipes at his tears and it's strange to be sitting in front of one of the most intimidating men I've ever met as he crumbles emotionally.

"Why did you give her away? I can't imagine a baby would have been such a burden to your wealthy family."

"We were sixteen and stupid. But don't think that's the reason we gave her up for adoption. We wanted to take care of her and buy her things. We wanted to be a family and give her all the love, but our parents, well our fathers more specifically thought we were foolish. They thought Renee and I just wanted to play house and that we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into."

He roughly rubs his face. "The truth is we didn't know what it was to take care of a child, but we were going to try. We were stupid, but we were going to take accountability, but that didn't look good to my father and John. They were wealthy business partners and very well known in society. Having teen parents as their children didn't fit. They forced Renee to move with her mom to some other city during her pregnancy. The whole time she would send me pictures of the baby stuff her mom would buy for her. I would get more excited with each pink baby item and how big her belly looked in every new picture."

"So what happened?"

"While she was visiting her grandmother back in Portland she went into labor. She was a few weeks early. But we were going to have our baby girl. I rushed to her side and made it just in time. I had never felt so damn excited, Edward. Holding her in my arms was the most beautiful thing I've ever done in my life. That moment and the moment when I held Riley are the best ever. We didn't know what we were going to do. I guess we were too young. But we didn't get a chance to decide. Our right to do so was taken away by my father and John. They threaten to kick us out with the baby if we didn't give her up and if we didn't keep it a secret."

He takes a deep breath. I can see that he still feels anger about it.

"We didn't have money or jobs. Hell we didn't have a place to go. We cried and hurt so damn much, Edward, when we realized we wouldn't be able to keep our baby girl. We only wanted the best for her. So we agreed to let them take her with the idea that a good family with the income would adopt her. The only thing we got to do is name her. Marie was Renee's choice while Isabella was my grandmother's name. Then they took her and we never saw her again until now. I placed that doll that used to belong to my mother in the things they would give the orphanage in hopes that she would always have something from me with her."

He wipes his new tears away.

"I regretted it every single day of my life and knowing now that she lived in such horrid conditions for so long and seeing it with my own eyes, I'll regret if even more for the rest of my life."

"So if Kid is your daughter…what are you going to do?"

I have never seen Charles Swan smile so wide. "I'm going to send her to the best schools and if we have to move to do so, then we'll do it. I'll buy her whatever she wants, spoil her every wish, make her a birthday party every year, get mad when she starts dating, ground her when she talks back to me and lecture her about things she doesn't want to hear. I'll put up with her girly mood swings and buy her pink crap if that's what she wants. But most of all, Ed, I'm going to love her so much and show her what I failed to show her for seventeen years."

"Well," I breathe. I didn't realize how emotional I would get. I guess I've come to terms with it. I've accepted it. "I hope she's your daughter. Because nobody deserves a better life than Kid. You'll have to promise me, Charles, that you'll treat her like a treasure and love her because if you don't…"

He chuckles. "Isn't that something_ I_ should prepare to say in the future?"

"Yeah, I guess…but I mean it. Take good care of her."

Even if it breaks my heart…Kid is going to be happy living with the Swans.

It's about damn time.

~NLG~

"I ca-c-can't b-believe it's r-r-really you," she says and the grin I get from hearing that cute stutter once again is so damn huge it hurts.

She's still acting kind of funny, but most of her sweet self is back.

"It is, Kid."

I take her good hand and give it a big kiss. She opens it and cups my cheek. I lean into her touch, letting myself enjoy her warmth. Her hand is a little rough from living in harsh conditions, but I wouldn't trade this moment for the world.

"You're not m-m-mad at me?"

"I could never be mad at you, Kid. I was once, but that was my fault. I should have never treated you the way I did. I'm really sorry."

She licks at her dry lips and rubs circles on my cheek with her small hand. "I'm s-s-so happy you're not ma-ma-mad. Can I go ho-home with you a-a-again?" Her words are slurred and I'm not sure if she's completely aware. Her eyes start to close, but she's fighting it. She wants an answer.

I don't dare tell her about Charles and Renee's plans. They've visited and chatted with her. But they didn't want to tell her anything until their results were in.

I nod and caress her hand.

"Dolly loves you, Kid," I tell her trying to change the subject.

"Yeah? I lo-lo-love her too."

"You have a big heart, Kid."

"I love you, Eh-Edward," she whispers. She probably doesn't know she's said that out loud.

I give her a watery smile and answer her back. "I love you, Kid. I love you very much."

She stares at me with wide eyes. Her mouth forms a shocked "o" shape as I confess my affection for her. She grins excitedly and giggles into her good hand. She blushes and bites into her lip as she tries to contain her excitement.

"Maybe I should have told you this a little earlier," I say, but once Kid closes her eyes and she quickly falls back into sleep.

~NLG~

"Maria s-s-said that?" Kid asks as Renee helps her with her pudding.

"Yes, she said you were like a sister."

Kid's small pink tongue pokes out in order to conquer the bit of chocolate pudding in the corner of her mouth.

"She wa-w-was always sweet t-t-to me."

Renee smiles and caresses her daughter's cheek. I know she can't hold it back any longer. She really wants to tell her that she's her mom.

Kid looks up at Renee and smiles.

"Do you want more pudding, honey?"

"Yes, puh-puh-please."

"For how long have you stuttered, Kid? If you don't mind me asking," Renee says.

Kid giggles as she savors the chocolate mush in her mouth. "Always."

"How would you feel about seeing a therapist? Someone that can help you maybe get rid of it or just someone that can help you deal with it?"

Kid quickly swallows the mouthful of pudding and looks up at Renee in disbelief.

"Really? Tha-tha-that exists?"

"Yes. My friend Mag is an excellent therapist. She can teach you so much. I have another friend, Jennifer, she's a teacher. Someone told me you would like to read books someday. She can help you with that too."

Kid answers with bright eyes and a deep blush. She excitedly grabs at her bed cover and has completely forgotten about her chocolate pudding. She takes deep breaths and bounces a little.

"Calm down, Kid," I say, chuckling at her enthusiasm.

"I wanna be s-s-smart, Edward. I wanna be s-s-smart."

I grin. "You already are."

A knock at the door interrupts us.

It's Alice.

"Mrs. Swan, your husband is outside the room," Alice says nervously. "He's asking for you to meet him because he's got the results."

"Oh, dear," Renee says grabbing at her chest. "I'll be back, Kid, okay?"

Kid struggles with the pudding again with her good hand but nods at her.

"Alice, can you stay with Kid and help her with that?" I ask her as I start following Renee out the door.

Alice nods. Knowing her nosy self, she's probably excited too.

I don't even ask Renee, I just follow as she reaches her husband who is holding an envelope in his hand. John stands behind him and if it wasn't for the fact that I want to know the results too, I would punch the prick in the damn face.

"What the hell is this boy doing here?"

"He's Isabella's friend," Charles says.

I smugly smile at the bastard.

Charles takes a deep breath and looks at his wife who nods at him. He opens up the envelope and pulls out the paper with the golden answer. This shit feels like I'm in some soap opera, but damn my heart is pounding in my chest.

He reads on and Renee, John and I are almost jogging in place because of the goddamn tension and nerves.

He lets out a broken breath and with red and watery eyes looks at his wife.

"What is it, Charles?" John asks. "I knew she wasn't it."

"Charlie? Charlie, is it her?" Renee pleads to be put out of her misery.

I swear I never expected to see Charles Swan cry so damn much. Large tears fall from his eyes and down his now scruffy cheeks and at the same time the biggest fucking grin plasters on his face.

"Renee, we finally found her. We've found her!" He says and Renee sobs as she throws herself into his arms.

John doesn't say anything and he better not fucking ruin the moment.

I don't know if clapping, which is what I want to do, is appropriate so I just smile and congratulate them, but they hardly pay attention to me as they help each other cry and laugh.

I'm happy for Kid. It's amazing that I find myself so happy for someone else for the first time in a long time.

Kid's finally going to get what she's always wanted.

"We've found her, Renee," Charles says again and kisses her forehead.

"Yes. I can't wait to tell her," she cries. "I'm so happy."

He chuckles. "Me too. We've finally found our little girl."

* * *

**Their little girl! My sappy heart! **

**Next update hopefully Sunday…**

**What happened to Kid medically is actually based on a friend who worried us to death with her hospital visit and her strange reaction to the meds they were giving her haha**

**I apologize for the usage of original names, but I really want to thank my real life friends for being very supportive of my secret hobby, even if it's by including them in minor parts. Magaly (Mag) was the first person I let read my fic. Letting RL friends read your fiction is nerve wracking. You worry they're going to think you're nuts or that it isn't any good. But she was very supportive and thanks to her I've lost all secrecy and feel confident about it. Jennifer might be Kid's biggest fangirl! She always visits my office and harasses me for an update. So thank her for the constant updates haha Thank you ladies for being amazing friends!**

**This is probably one of Edward's last point of views…**

**Leave me some love for Kid in the review box. Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl where I post teasers and discussion topics.**

**Adios y hasta pronto! **


	24. Home

**AH! Thanks for all the reviews! Love ya guys!**

**Here is Kid! **

* * *

Chapter 24- Home

I know I'm awake because I'm suddenly cringing in my pain. My head is hurting.

It hurts real bad.

My muscles ache, there is this sharp pain on my right side anytime I move and my left hand feels useless.

I don't remember being in this much pain these past two days.

I lived a big part of my life with some kind of discomfort. From the pain in my skin from being dirty and in the cold to the sometimes unbearable empty tummy ache, I've lived life in pain. But what I'm feeling right now is the worse.

I whimper, hoping someone will help me. I open my eyes and realize everything is a bit clearer today. The room is lighted better and it isn't spinning. I whimper again as another sharp pain attacks my side making me squeeze my eyes shut.

"Kid, are you okay?" I hear Renee ask.

She's been here all day every day. I don't remember some of the things we've talked about and I wonder if it has to do with the fact that everything hurts worse. All I do remember is her face.

"It hu-hu-hurts," I cry, because I don't know how else to tell her.

"What hurts, honey?" Her voice is sweet and so close. I look up to find her standing by my side, her blue eyes filled with worry.

"My side, my he-head, my ha-hand, e-e-everything," I mutter.

"Oh, honey, the drugs must have finally worn off. Let me call the doctor," she says and leaves the room. I thank my luck she's here. I wonder why though. I mean, I knew she liked me but I'm still a stranger. I do remember that every time I have woken up, I have found her in my room. She's always asking me if I'm comfortable and if I need anything.

She's really sweet.

We really haven't talked about what happened at her house. I hope she doesn't remember much of it. I know I didn't do anything bad, but for some reason I feel some sort of guilt that her dad was mad.

Maybe she's the one that feels bad and that's why she's here.

I don't know.

Charlie has also been in my room a lot. Renee says he has work still going on and that's why he doesn't spend all day with me like her. I tell her its okay. I mean, why should he? I do remember crying to him about not affording the hospital and him being nice about it and then me asking for toast and strawberry jam. I feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment. I don't know why I was acting so funny.

Dr. Henry says I can take some pain medication, but it won't be as strong as it was before. He says I won't act funny with these pills, but I don't believe him.

I would believe Dr. Carlisle, but he's busy in his clinic according to Renee. She tells me that I may be able to go home soon. I try not to laugh as I don't know what she means by "home." I don't think she remembers that I don't have one.

I'm surprised the hospital hasn't kicked me out yet. I mean, how the hell am I gonna pay them? Everyone has been really nice to me here. They even give me food. It doesn't taste really good, but it's better than trash.

I take deep breaths. I can feel myself getting worried and anxious about what's to come. I wish someone would tell me what door I can exit through so I won't have to worry how its gonna work later. That way I can tell Renee and Charlie thanks for their sweet company and say another goodbye to Edward.

Edward.

Suddenly my anxiety goes away at the simple thought of him.

Like Renee, he's been here every day. I don't really know where he is this morning, but I'm sure I'll see him again before they finally give me the boot out of here.

He's been really sweet to me. He even fixed Dolly. I feel another wave of embarrassment come over me. I've been trying to prove to him that I'm not a child and there I was acting like a baby in front of him.

I really miss him already and hope he comes soon. I think we've forgiven each other for that awful night in which we fought. But I'm silly. I always knew I would forgive him for whatever it was I was mad at him. I don't know if that's a good thing, but I just love his boyish smile when he sees me.

Renee helps me eat my breakfast and says that Charlie and Riley are going to visit as soon as Charlie gets off work. She says he's going to take some weeks off just for me.

I don't know why.

I don't know what that means.

But I'm afraid to ask.

After we're done eating, she turns on the TV and asks what I want to watch. Trying to show her that I'm not a dumb kid and that I'm not a baby, I tell her the news.

Edward would always watch the news.

She gives me a funny look, but doesn't question it.

She sits with me as we watch what's going on in Seattle and in the country and I try really hard not to fall asleep, but it's kinda boring. My eyes are slowly closing, but suddenly the door opens and as I see his crazy, penny colored hair, I find myself very much awake.

He doesn't disappoint me. Right as his green eyes land on me, his lips turn up into the biggest and most beautiful smile I've ever seen.

"Good morning, Kid," he says and walks over to place a sweet and soft kiss on my forehead. He smells like his favorite shampoo and I might have closed my eyes for a quick second.

"M-m-morning," I say, embarrassed at how I'm out of breath. I haven't even moved.

He says hello to Renee and takes my right hand in his. He intertwines his fingers with mine. He would think I'm crazy if he knew how much that made me happy.

"The news?" He asks. He makes the face he would make when he would smell old food in the fridge. I giggle at his silliness.

"I'm n-n-not a little kid, Eh-Edward," I tell him. He rolls his eyes and asks for the remote.

He changes it to that cartoon show with the little girl with the backpack. She reminds me of Maria with her dark skin and her Spanish lessons. But I think Maria would teach me bad words so I don't say anything.

"You're telling me you would rather watch the news than this?"

I grin and shake my head.

"I ju-just don't wanna be a kid t-t-to you anymore," I mutter.

"I understand. But don't rush yourself and don't feel bad for liking things you never got to experience before, regardless of how old you are. You deserve to get spoiled with cartoons. At least for a little while. I love you, remember? I'll always be around regardless of what you do or want." He looks over to Renee and then back at me.

I sigh. "I thought I wa-wa-was dreaming when you s-s-said that before."

"I know you wanted something different from me, Kid, but let's get you feeling better and to a better life. I want you to see everything you never got to see and then you can decide if I'm still someone you would want around. I only want the best for you, always."

I squeeze his hand. I want to thank him for taking away all worry away and that he's silly, because no matter what I see or do, I'll always want him around. But I don't know how and I don't want to pressure him, so instead I end up watching cartoons with him like we used to.

~NLG~

I tell Edward I don't remember much. All I remember is running into James and Vicky and his boot going straight to my face.

He tells me they started running away when he and Jasper got closer, but they are in jail now.

I kinda wanna ask him if he'll let me stay with him again, but I don't have the courage. I don't get the chance anyway as Riley peaks his head through the door and then runs to my side.

"Hey, Kid!"

"Hey, R-Riley."

He's grinning at me and I don't know why.

"What a-are you s-s-smiling about?"

"You, silly." He bounces on his feet and I giggle at his unexplained excitement.

"Oh."

"Riley, calm down," Charlie says and gently moves his son out of the way. He gives me one of those famous sweet, Charlie Swan smiles that I love and kisses my forehead and then my cheek, tickling my skin with his moustache. "Hey, sweet girl. How are you feeling?"

"G-g-good. I have a little p-p-pain, but I'm happy to s-s-see you." And I really am. There's just something about Charlie that makes me feel so happy.

"I'm happy to see you too, honey," he answers kindly and caresses my cheek. He looks over at Edward with a serious face. I don't know what's going on because suddenly Edward turns off the TV and gets out of his seat and lets Renee sit in it.

Charlie takes a seat too and now I'm surrounded by the Swans, but Edward doesn't leave my side. He's standing at the foot of my bed with Riley.

"Sweetie, we wanted to tell you something," Charlie says. "But before we start, I just want to tell you that Renee and I love you very much. It's strange how quickly someone can make their way into your heart. You have that power, sweet girl. You're such a beautiful person and though it has nothing to do with me, I'm incredibly proud and honored."

"We've been so lucky to finally have you in our lives," Renee says and places a book in my lap. "And you'll continue to be."

"Wha-whats this?" I ask. She's starting to worry me. Her eyes look watery and red and that's never a good thing.

"The answers you've always wanted, baby. Open it," she says and with my good hand open to the first page. I quickly realize it's not a real book, but a photo album.

The first photos are of a boy and a girl.

"That's us when were younger. I think we were around your age in these photos."

I nod and continue flipping through. There are some photos I recognize from the hallway of their house. Then there are some photos of Riley and them that are new to me.

I don't know why they are having me look at this, but I don't mind.

I finally get to photos of Renee with a big belly. She looks younger, much younger. It looks like she's sitting in a hospital bed and as my eyes look over her appearance and robe, my heart starts beating really fast and it's getting harder to breathe.

The lighting and her hair look very familiar to something I've seen before.

There are a few more with Charlie with her, but it's mostly her with the big belly.

I flip to more photos and suddenly I'm staring at a very familiar picture, but it's a different angle.

Renee is smiling at the camera as she holds a tiny baby in her arms. The baby is wrapped in a blanket covered in pink teddy bears.

The room is silent. The only thing I can hear is the thumping of my heart, my tears hitting the plastic protected photo album and my failed attempts at breathing.

I'm heaving and grabbing at my chest.

"Kid, honey, are you okay?" I hear Edward's voice, but all I can do is shake my head at the ceiling.

Why?

I don't understand.

The Swans are good people.

They would never hurt anybody.

But they are the ones.

They are the ones that hurt me the day they decided to give me away.

I cover my face and sob loudly into my hands, not caring that the album slips off my lap and that my injured left hand is stinging.

I feel someone rub my shoulder.

"Honey, please look at me," the broken voice says.

"No!" I cry and continue to sob. They let me cry for a few minutes. I don't know what else to do. For so long I dreamt of this moment, but now that it's here I feel so overwhelmed. The feeling of desperation takes over and I feel it crawl over my chest and heart. I didn't see it coming. This whole time I didn't know how angry I really was at them.

But I'm furious.

I'm angry and sad and both feelings are leaving me out of breath and pulling ugly sobs out of my chest. I'm not like this. I'm not angry. So many times Edward asked me why I wasn't angry and who knew. Who would have thought I could be so mad? I'm so mad I'm trembling. I'm a good person, but I can't help but think of the nice house and family the Swans have and each thought adds to my rage.

My anger turns worse and I'm filled with a bitter need to shout.

I open my eyes to find Charlie's tear stained face staring at me. I pull away from his hand and his face cringes in pain.

"Sweet girl, let us explain," he pleads.

"No!"

I bury my face into the pillow, ignoring my body's painful pleads for me not to move so much.

"Honey, let us talk," Renee says. "I know you're confused…"

"I'm not confused!" I shout. For the first time I spit a sentence without a stutter. "You're my p-p-parents, right?" I rip my oxygen tube off my face and look at her. "You're my m-m-mom?"

She nods. The movements making her tears fall from her eyes. "Yes, honey, I'm your mom and Charlie is your dad. You are our little girl."

The confirmation makes me sob again.

"I think you guys should give her some time," Edward says. "The news seems to be overwhelming her."

"But she's my sister and she has to know that," Riley says and I look at him. He smiles and rubs my foot over the bed cover. I want to laugh, but I'm too upset. He walks over to me and places his head on my shoulder and his arm around me. It hurts me a little, but I don't dare tell him. "You're my sister, Kid. Aren't you happy about that?"

I just nod and awkwardly wrap an arm around him. "I'm your b-b-big sister?"

"Yeah, isn't that cool?" He pulls away. I can tell he's trying to convince me to not be mad anymore.

"It is, R-Riley. It is," I assure him.

"It isn't Mom and Dad's fault. They've always loved you. Don't be mad at us for too long."

I smile at him. Silly boy has calmed me down.

I wipe at my face with the back of my hand and hiccup my way into deep breaths and a calmness that I don't know how long will last.

"Drink this," Edward says and helps me with the cup of cool water. After a few gulps, I sigh and rest my head against the pillow again, still fighting tears and sobs. "Hey," he whispers and caresses my cheek. The warmth from his touch spreads across my skin, helping me calm down. "It's okay if you're mad. Don't try to hold it in."

"Eh-Edward, I'm really ma-mm-mad," I cry and once again cover my face, trying to hide.

"And it's okay. You have all the right in the world to be pissed. It doesn't make you bad."

"They're m-m-my parents!"

"Yeah."

"I ca-ca-can't believe it!"

"I know."

"They a-a-are the ones that didn't wa-wa-want me."

"Do you wanna hear them out?"

"I d-d-don't know!"Once again I start sobbing.

"You don't have to decide now, Kid. You can kick em out and take your time thinking about it."

"But I d-d-don't want them to le-leave forever…yet."

He chuckles. "They won't. They'll do anything for you to give them a chance. So do you wanna kick em out or hear what they have to say?"

"Okay…I'll listen, b-b-but don't leave m-me, Edward."

He smiles and kisses my forehead. "I won't leave you."

He walks back to the far corner of the room, taking Riley with him and leaving me with Renee and Charlie.

I take a deep breath and continue wiping at my tears.

I don't think they'll stop coming.

~NLG~

"This is your aunt. Her name is Helen and is my older sister. She's excited to meet you," Renee says as she points at the picture of a pretty lady that looks just like her.

They spent what feels like hours explaining to me how it all happened. How she got pregnant with me when they were really young and how my grandfathers kinda forced them to give me away.

They said they didn't talk to each other again until they graduated high school and started going to the same college. They realized they still loved each other and got married that same year. That was four years after they had me. They decided to start looking for me, but they had to use their parent's money to do so and the only ones supporting them were their moms so it was kinda hard.

Charlie's dad and mom passed away a few months after, leaving him with their money and business. That's when they really started looking for me, but they could never find me until now.

I'm still mad at them.

I just nod when they ask things and when I look over at Edward who is playing video games with Riley on his phone, he gives me a wink and a smile to let me know everything is going to be okay.

"This is your grandmother Swan," Charlie says.

I kinda look like her.

"She was very sweet and kind. She would sneak me money to help look for you. She died wishing she could see you. You would have loved her."

"So wh-wha-what now?" I ask. "I'm your long lost d-d-daughter. What's gonna happen?"

Renee caresses my face. I can tell she hopes I don't pull away so I don't. "We're hoping you're okay with living with us?"

I look down at my hands.

I don't know.

"Help us fill the empty spots in this family photo album, Kid. You're supposed to be part of our family. You always were. We made a mistake. Please let us love you. Please open your heart to us." Renee's pleading voice and eyes are piercing through my heart.

"I wa-wa-was homeless for 5 years. My fo-fo-foster dad used to beat me and m-m-make me beg for money. My best fr-f-friend was a prosti-t-t… a prostitute and I slept on the f-f-floor since I can remember. I ate out of the g-g-garbage cans and ran away from b-b-bums and criminals that wa-wanted to rape me. I'm s-s-so angry with you!" I cry.

"I know you are, sweet girl," Charlie whispers. "But we're here now and we're never going to let anything bad happen to you again."

"You'll have a room all to yourself, clothes, shoes, food and baths," Renee says and takes my face into her hands. "But most of all, baby, you'll have us. You'll have a brother and a dad and mom to love you like you always wanted. We'll never, ever leave you again."

I place my hand over hers and look right into her watery blue eyes. "I'm g-g-gonna be m-mad at you for a long t-time."

"I know," she whispers.

"I d-d-don't know if I'll ever forget."

"Come home with us," Charlie pleads. "We'll do anything for you."

"Don't ta-ta-take Edward away from me. He's m-m-my friend."

He sighs and nods. "We won't push him away."

I nod in agreement and look over to Edward. He's smiling at me. Somehow that's all I needed to know that everything might be okay.

~NLG~

"Th-th-this is new," I say, smelling the sweater Renee brought me to wear out the hospital.

She smiles as she ties my also new shoes.

"You can have a hundred more when we get home," she says.

Home.

How strange.

I now have a home.

It's strange to know that this woman is my mom. I've asked her several times if they are sure. Are they sure they are my parents? She guarantees it. I don't feel what I thought I was going to feel when meeting my mom. Edward says it's normal since she's still a stranger to me and that I'll learn to love her like a mom one day. I study her face as she finishes putting things away in her purse. She has soft skin and pretty eyes. I can see now that the side of her face matches the one in my photo. This is same face I stared at for so many lonely years wishing she were real.

This the face of my mother.

"Is J-J-John, that mean m-m-man, my grandpa?" I ask, making her giggle.

"Yes, that awful man is your grandfather. But don't worry, he's been warned to stay away. Unless you wanna see him?"

"No. N-n-not yet."

She giggles again and wraps her arms around me for a hug. She snuggles my face into her chest and hums into my hair. I can't help but let out a broken sigh. She smells and feels nice and she's mine. She's my mom. "My sweet girl. My little girl, you'll never go another cold day. I'll take good care of you." She kisses my forehead and cheeks. I wince as my bruised face still hurts. "Sorry! I'll just stick to small hugs for now. But I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from hugging and kissing you."

"It's okay."

"Are you ready to go home?"

I slowly nod and she gives me one last hug before grabbing her purse. I can feel my heart rate shoot up as I realize this is it. I'm going with her and Charlie.

Suddenly the door opens and a smiley Edward walks in.

"Just came to say my goodbyes," he says and walks over to me.

"I'll wait for you outside, sweetie," Renee assures me. "Edward, can you make sure she sits in the wheelchair and take her to us?"

Edward nods and sighs when she's finally out of the room.

"I can't believe it, Kid. That's your mom! Your freaking mom!" He grins. "You remember when we would talk about what you would do if you ever met your folks?" I nod. "Who would have thought you would ever find them?"

"I'm confused," I confess. "I guess I sh-sh-should be happy. This is wha-what I've always wa-wanted. But I d-d-don't know. I think I'm still sh-sh-shocked."

"I don't blame you, Kid, and neither do they."

"Wha-what if they d-d-don't like me?"

"That's silly. They already love you."

"They're fa-f-fancy."

He chuckles. "They're just people, Kid. And now they're your family."

"Fa-family? Are you s-sure I'm n-n-not dreaming?"

"I'm sure."

"I g-go to s-sleep homeless and lo-lonely and I wake up to a f-f-family waiting to ta-take me h-home."

"You finally get to have what you always dreamed of."

I smile and nod. "I always d-dreamed of this. B-b-but is it too m-m-much to ask for one more thing?"

"Of course not, what is it?"

"Never disappear, Eh-Edward. I know you ha-have your ow-own family. But I wa-wa-want you in m-my life…forever. In any way I ca-c-can have you."

He takes me in his arms. Today has been filled with hugs and I don't mind. I once starved for just one and now I have many. I'm hopeful I'll never go without one ever again.

"Of course," he whispers in my ear. His voice is broken. "I'll always be around for you, Kid. Whatever you need, I'll be around for you. You saved my life and helped me move on. I owe you everything. I love you."

I smile into his neck and snuggle closer into his body. We stay like this for a few minutes, just holding each other one last time.

"Come on, Kid," he finally says. "It's time to get you to your family. It's time you get home."

I like the sound of that.

Home.

* * *

**Sigh.**

**That sounded like an ending chapter, but it's not. **

**But we are close to the end.**

**Being an Edward and Bella fic some of you are concerned that they won't be involved "romantically" and admit that even though it doesn't feel right at this time because Bella is well…Kid, it's still sad. **

**Without spoiling anything, all I will say is that a lot is yet to happen. So hang tight. **

**Leave me some MORE hugs for Kid in the review box.**

** Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl where I post teasers and discussion topics.**

**Adios y hasta pronto! **


	25. Growing Up

**I know! Where have I been? No excuses!**

**If you're tired of me thanking you, you're out of luck, because I'll never stop thanking you for the reviews, faves, and follows! You guys are awesome!**

**Here is Kid.**

* * *

Chapter 25- Growing Up

When I was eight years old my foster mom, Lynn, drove me to the supermarket on Christmas Eve with her real son Jimmy. I remember the awful cigarette smell of her old car and the loud noise it made as she drove it. It would violently rattle and I would grab onto the seats as if that was going to save me from the car breaking down. It also didn't have heat so I had to hold myself so I didn't shake so much from the cold.

The supermarket was full of people buying last minutes items for their family dinners. Lynn had to keep reminding me that I needed to keep up with her and Jimmy and that I shouldn't stare at strangers. But I couldn't help it. I had never been around so many people before. I was excited and scared at the same time.

She led Jimmy and me to a small section with toys and said, "Pick one thing and merry Christmas."

Jimmy picked a toy car while I picked a Barbie doll. I was so excited when I saw Lynn actually pay for it because it was really going to be mine. I thought maybe she would change her mind, but she didn't.

On the way back home I played with my doll caressing her hair and pretty plastic face, while Lynn and Jimmy sang along together to the Christmas songs coming on the radio. I remember feeling so left out. They felt so much comfort with each other. I wanted to sing along too, but I didn't know the words and I wasn't sure if I was invited to do so.

So I stayed quiet and listened to them enjoy the holiday spirit together while I stared out my window wondering what my real mom and dad were doing for the holidays. I wondered if they were singing songs too or if they were even together. I wondered if they had plenty of gifts.

On my way to "my house" this morning as I sat in the backseat of the Swans' fancy car that didn't smell of cigarettes or rattle, I realized that I finally knew the answers to all of those questions.

And I don't know how to feel about that.

I stared at Renee's face as she excitedly talked about how she had her sister decorate and prepare my room. I stared at Charlie's face as he said we would go shopping for stuff for my room that I liked when I felt better. I stared at Riley's smile as he assured me that he and I would have a lot of fun.

I didn't respond and instead stared out my window like I did so that night with Lynn and Jimmy. I could hear them talking, but I wasn't listening. I wouldn't know what they were talking about anyway.

Helen, or "Auntie" as she asked me to call her after her tight hug, was sweet. Her skin was pale like mine and she made sure to point it out. She showed me my new room. She promised that we would have a lot of "girl dates."

Whatever that means.

I'm currently sitting on my bed in my room.

My room?

It's strange.

The baby stuff of the little girl that never got to use it is gone. It's replaced by what Aunt Helen thought I would like as the teenager that I am, but to be honest I don't know about any of it. I just nodded when she asked me if I liked it because I didn't want her to feel bad. I didn't want to tell her that I was confused about it, because she wouldn't understand me.

I don't understand myself.

After all, it's not her fault that she doesn't know me or know that I'm probably not like most teenagers. She asked me if my previous foster parents had bought me any school clothes.

I don't think they've told her the complete truth about me. She awkwardly laughed when I didn't answer her.

Renee told me that Aunt Helen and a few family members were going to have dinner with us tonight to celebrate that I'm home.

Home?

Somehow that doesn't sound as warm as I once thought it would sound. Maybe Edward was right. I just need time to get used to them.

I need time to get used to these people.

My family.

I stare at the ceiling as I try to rest. The truth is that my body is tired of resting, but I can't face those people downstairs right now. I used the excuse that I was tired and still sore to be left alone in this room I have to start calling my own.

Maybe I've lost my mind.

Or maybe I'm just confused. I still don't know how to understand and accept all of this.

"D-d-do you like it here, D-Dolly?" I ask her as I rub her head. Of course she likes it. "Can you b-b-believe those p-people are my f-f-family? I sure can't. Maybe it's a cruel jo-jo-joke." I sigh, wishing my brain would untangle all of these thoughts. Dolly tells me that I should stop acting dumb and enjoy my new home.

A few minutes later, there is a knock at the door. "Hey, Kid, it's me, Riley."

I slowly sit up and let him know its okay for him to come in.

He smiles when he sees me and without asking sits next to me. He begins to play with his hands from what seems out of nervousness and I giggle because I do the same thing.

"So, do you like your new home?" He asks.

I nod.

"I bet it's weird."

I nod again.

"Don't worry, if you ever have questions just ask me and I'll help you. Like I know when it's not okay to ask Mom and Dad for stuff or when it's okay to make jokes about Dad's moustache."

I smile and shake my head at his silliness.

"Th-th-the p-p-people coming tonight…are they n-n-nice?" I ask him.

"Oh, yeah they are. They are friends and family. They come often to visit, especially on the holidays. They are very excited to meet you, finally."

"I'm n-n-nervous."

"It's gonna be okay, Sis."

I snap my head to his direction. That simple word makes my eyes widen and my mouth drop.

"Is it okay if I call you that?" He looks worried from my reaction and I feel a little guilty.

"Of c-course," I whisper and nervously wrap an arm around his small shoulders.

This is what a sister is supposed to do, right?

I'm barely touching him, but he doesn't notice how awkward my hug is and instead wraps his own arm around me. He's smaller than I am, so his arm doesn't completely reach around me. We both chuckle and pull away.

"That was a good hug."

"We're f-f-family."

"I can't wait for you to meet Jake!"

"Jake?"

"Yeah, he's Billy's son and my friend. I think he's your age."

"Who is B-B-Billy?"

"Dad's best friend."

"Oh."

"Don't worry you'll get to know everything and everyone soon enough. Our parents aren't that difficult to understand. They are pretty simple people."

"I w-w-wish I knew that m-m-myself."

~NLG~

"You look beautiful, Kid," Renee says as she finishes my hair. She and Aunt Helen have been getting me dressed and ready for the guests…or _our _family. I nervously bite into my bottom lip and look everywhere but the mirror. I don't want to catch their eye in the mirror's reflection. I don't want them to ask me if I'm doing okay.

Because I'm not.

"Ha! You know Renee would do the same thing with her lip when she was a kid," Aunt Helen says. "Until Dad made her stop. He would always say, 'you're gonna swallow your lip!' It scared her so much that she stopped."

I finally look at Renee through the mirror and she gives me a sweet smile.

"Are you nervous, sweetie?" She asks and starts to gently rub my shoulders.

"A li-li-little," I confess.

"I'm going to help Charlie with the food. See ya downstairs, Isabella," Aunt Helen says and leaves the room.

Renee slowly drops to her knees by my side. She places her hands over mine which are nervously playing with the hem of the pretty blouse she gave me.

"I know this is a lot to take in," she says. "But I promise that everyone just wants to see you and tell you how important you are. All of the people you'll meet today have been worried for you as well. They love you already."

"B-b-but they don't even kn-know me. Are they g-g-gonna love me because I'm Marie or because I'm K-K-Kid? Why d-d-didn't you tell Aunt Helen tha-that I've been homeless? Are you em-em-embarrassed of what ha-happened to me?" I cry.

"What? No, sweetie, of course I'm not. I just…" she takes a deep breath as if to clear her head. "I just didn't know if you wanted me to share that with her. I could never be embarrassed of you. I am ashamed of myself for letting you go. It's my fault all that stuff happened to you. I love you, honey, can't you see that?"

"I d-d-don't know! Just a f-f-few days ago, I was looking for a b-b-bench to sleep on and eating bread out of a d-d-dumpster and now you're telling me you love me. I'm just conf-co-confused."

"Do you remember the day we first met?"

"Yes."

"Did you feel something here?" she asks and places a hand over my chest. "I know I did. I just knew you were special and not only because you're such a wonderful person, but because you and I are connected in a very special way. I know you probably don't love me yet and you are probably still mad, but we'll work on it together and if you let us, Charlie and I will show you how much we love you."

Renee wipes my face and pulls me into her for a gentle and warm hug. "I promise I'll make you see, honey. We'll make you happy."

~NLG~

I feel bad because I forget half the names of the family members I've met already. I have a lot of cousins and family friends apparently.

Charlie pulls me to his side to introduce me around. The grin on his face seems like it'll never go away and the deep laugh that rumbles in his chest as people say nice things to me makes me smile. I hold onto the back of his shirt and try to hide myself a little by leaning my face into his body. I already had a few people cry and I don't know how to react to that. Charlie assures me that I shouldn't be scared and they are just happy to see me, but I don't believe him.

He doesn't pull away and lets me use him as a shield against the strangers that claim to love me and that wish me the best and that ask for me to visit them.

I really miss Edward. He promised he would visit tomorrow and that maybe we could have lunch or something.

"Sweet girl, my very good friend, Billy is here," Charlie says. "You'll love him and I hope you become friends with his son. It'll be good for you to have someone your own age as a friend. Edward is a grown man and is pretty busy with his new job and school. Don't expect him to be around all the time."

I know he's only being honest to help me, but I don't like what he's saying. Maybe that's what got me in trouble with Edward last time.

"Kid?" A familiar voice shouts across the room. When I look up I find Jacob. My friend Jacob is waving at me.

"Jacob?" I finally let go of Charlie and run to the first familiar face I've seen all day. He meets me half way and takes me into a tight hug.

"I can't believe it's you, Kid! Where ha-haaa-have you been? I've missed you, loca."

I giggle. His bright smile is infectious and I can feel my cheeks hurting with how hard I'm grinning. I'm so happy to see him, my friend.

"I've b-b-been busy f-f-finding my way around."

"Wait? Are you…are you Charlie and Renee's daughter?" he asks.

His question causes a strange feeling. Just a few days ago I would have told him that he was crazy for thinking that. But now, I can say yes. The feeling of that small word is so overwhelming that I have to take a deep breath.

"Yes," I finally breathe out. "I'm her."

His eyes widened. It's the same reaction everyone has been giving me. But then he speaks.

"That's so daaa-damn cool! My dad and I co-co-come visit Charlie a bunch. To be honest, I'm tired of hanging out with those old geezers. Now you and I can hang out."

I smile again because that does sound like a good idea.

Things are starting to make sense now.

At dinner, Riley sits next to me and explains how it works. I wouldn't have thought I would need directions to eat dinner, but at the end I thank him for helping me or I would have once again felt overwhelmed.

Everyone is kind to me and I can tell they try really hard to make me feel special and give me all the attention in the room. But I just wanna go take a nap. This is all very exhausting.

"Have a good night," Jake says, with one last hug as he leaves. "I can't waaa-wait for you to meet M-M-Mag, she'll help you with that stutter. She's really sweet."

"I can't wa-wa-wait."

~NLG~

I'm seventeen years old, not eighteen.

When I was eight, Riley was three. There are pictures of him at that age hanging from the walls and in the photo albums Renee let me look through. I think back of when I was eight and remember how much I dreamt of being in my real home with my real family.

I can't help but feel jealousy and bitterness that he got to live those things with them and I didn't. While I suffered in the coldness and loneliness that was my childhood, they gave him everything. He was never lonely or hungry.

I know he wouldn't have deserved to live through that, but it makes me so mad that I had to. I didn't expect to have these feelings of anger and resentment towards Renee and Charlie, but I do. I close the door to my room and cry for a few minutes, hoping they don't come and check on me. They've been really nice and attentive, but I just want to be angry and sad on my own for a little while.

Later in the day, after crying my eyes out, Charlie takes Riley and me fishing. Renee just helps us carry stuff down to the lake and sits back as Charlie shows me how it's done.

We don't catch anything, but I have fun. Charlie and Riley are really funny. They promise we can come to the lake again, whenever I want.

Renee tells me she's invited Edward over for lunch and I can't hold by excitement to finally see him again.

"I told you they would be nice. They love you, Kid," Edward says as we finish our dessert. Everyone else is in the living room.

"Yeah, I gu-guess so."

He chuckles, the sound making me smile. He's so handsome.

"So I heard you start school next Monday."

"It's really n-n-not a school. It's just s-s-some place where d-d-dummies like me go to finally le-learn."

"You're not a dummy, Kid. You just got left out and that's not your fault. But I'm excited for you. Are you?" He wipes chocolate off the corner of my mouth with his thumb and with a silly grin on his handsome face.

"I am. I g-g-get all jumpy just th-thinking about it."

"Well, I get jumpy for you too. You've inspired me, Kid."

"What?"

"Yeah, I'm going back to school next semester which will be after Christmas."

"Eh-Edward, that's great."

"I think I want to be like my dad and be in the medical world. I'll probably change my mind later, but I really like making myself useful and helping people."

"Well, you've he-he-helped me."

"We've helped each other. We'll always have that."

"Yeah, are we g-g-gonna be friends for a lo-long time?"

"Forever, if you'd let me. Unless I get too old for you," he teases.

I shake my head. "Of course n-n-not. You'll al-al-always be my Eh-Edward."

He smiles and caresses my chin. "I like that the sound of that."

~NLG~

"The d-dog…the…" I take a deep breath. The word is at the tip of my tongue. "ra-ra…"

"Ran."

"Yeah, ran."

Jen laughs. She's a really sweet and pretty lady. She has long dark hair and tanned skin. She has a little girl that she loves to talk about when she's not teaching me how to read and write. She's really warm and makes me laugh a lot. She's always smiling and I've never seen her in a bad mood. She always wears these pretty necklaces that distract me while she's going over letters and sounds. She gave me one as a gift when I finally read a sentence on my own.

I've been doing really well. That what she's told me. According to her, the older people are the harder it is to learn new things, but I'm faster at learning than most people my age and it might have to do with the fact that I really want it.

She's made me promise that I won't give up.

I haven't and I don't plan to do so. Renee helps me in the afternoons going over letters and sounds. Even Riley joins in. He likes to test me by pointing at things and asking me how to spell them.

After learning about words, Jen teaches me math. I'm good at that. I already kinda knew numbers because I had to living out in the streets and wondering how much money I could spend on food and soap.

"If you keep this up, you'll be able to read and do math problems at a higher level in no time. You're doing great," she assures me.

After Jen, Renee drives me to my speech therapy classes with Mag. She's a tall thin lady. She's also very nice. She likes to laugh a whole lot. Her big, brown eyes widen every time I say something silly and she'll go into a laughing fit. She likes to take me out to lunch with Renee. She makes me practice speaking with strangers as she noticed my stutter is worse with people I don't know.

She also eats slow. The first time we had lunch, I practically swallowed my food and quickly got embarrassed when I realized that her plate was still full. With time I realized she eats tiny bites, so I'm always waiting for her to finish.

Jacob is her helper so I see him a lot while I do my therapy with her. He's fun. He even took me out to the movies once. Charlie didn't seem to like that. I mean he's just my friend. I don't know why that would make him upset.

I don't notice a difference with my stuttering, but everyone at home swears they can tell I'm getting better.

Besides Jen and Mag, I also have to see a mind doctor. I don't know what you call her, but I don't like talking to her. She makes me cry sometimes and makes me talk about things I don't wanna.

For example, she's made me talk about my foster parents and how they beat me. I never really told anybody before, but she made me.

I have to admit that after we talk, I do feel better.

She's also made me confess that I'm still angry at Renee and Charlie. According to Dr. Tyler, I still don't feel comfortable calling them Mom and Dad because I've always thought those titles belonged to someone I deeply loved, but now that I know who they are and what could have been of my childhood if they hadn't given me away, I have this resentment towards them.

She's asked me to see what they do for me now and ask myself if I don't appreciate them. After I left her office that day, I smiled at Renee as she rested her eyes in the waiting room. She takes me everywhere everyday and she never complains. She's also very sweet to me and is never shy to tell me that she loves me.

I just need more time. I do appreciate her and Charlie now, but I can't seem to let go of the past. Dr. Tyler says that's normal too.

"So today I asked you to bring Dolly," she says as I hold my long time friend. "You've told me so much about her, but I wonder if it's really you who you speak of."

I shake my head a little confused.

"It seems sometimes when you speak of what thoughts you think Dolly has, they are mature and maybe things you should think for your age. I think you fall back into a childish routine because that is where you feel safe while Dolly has all these solutions and mature opinions on situations. For example, Dolly wants to work things out with your parents while you are still mad at them. You use her because you're too scared to try and have these thoughts on your own."

"Are you s-s-saying I'm crazy?"

"No, not to all. I'm just saying that years of living in harsh conditions have made you resort to try anything for safety and that's okay. It makes sense. But now, you're safe and have a family. It's time to grow mentally and it's time to let go of Dolly."

"What?" I cry as I hold her closer to my chest. "You ca-ca-can't make me. She's m-m-mine! She's my fr-f-friend!"

"She is, Isabella. She's your doll. She was your only friend while you were so lonely. All I'm asking you is to stop and have your own mind make decisions and for you to go with them, no matter how scary it is. Put Dolly away in your closet for a few days, until our next session. Do you think you could do that?"

I cry into Dolly's hair and nod. I just want to be normal so I'll do anything, but I know I'll miss her.

~NLG~

I cry that night as I don't sleep with Dolly in my arms for the first time in years. I wake up tired and in a bad mood. I can feel it.

I scowl as I eat my pancakes. Renee asks me what's wrong, but I just tell her to not worry. Charlie gives me a good morning kiss on the cheek. He's not scared of my moodiness it seems.

Riley runs into the kitchen, happy as can be. We have this joke going on where we steal food from each other's plates sometimes

But this morning I don't seem to remember the joke.

He grabs a slice of pancake from my plate and I can feel the anger bubble and rise into my chest. I roughly stand up causing my chair to fall back and loudly hit the floor.

"You spoiled brat! Don't s-s-steal my f-f-food! Its mine! Don't you ha-have enough of everything and everyone in thi-this house? You spoiled brat!" I shout.

I can feel the vibrations of my anger and cringe as I hear my voice echo in the room. Riley steps back with a frightened look on his face and I quickly feel guilty.

I take a few deep breaths to try and calm myself down. Renee and Charlie stare in shock at my outburst.

_I have to do things that might seem scary._

_Like admitting when I've done something stupid._

"Riley?" I ask as he looks down at his feet. "I'm really s-s-sorry. I d-d-didn't mean what I said. I was just m-m-mad I didn't have a good night and I sh-shouldn't have sh-shouted at you for it. It's not your f-f-fault. None of it is."

"Kid, why don't you go take a break in your room?" Renee asks.

I think I'm trouble. I nod and start walking away when I hear Riley's voice.

"It's alright, Sis. We'll fight a lot and that's okay too."

I smile at him and head towards my room.

~NLG~

It's Christmas. It's the first Christmas in a long time I'll spend in a house and not in a shelter. I help Charlie and Riley decorate the big tree in the living room. They listen as I tell them a few stories of my past Christmases. Riley thinks I'm cool for surviving shelters, but they weren't so bad. Charlie teaches me the words to a few Christmas carols. His favorite and now mine as well is _Silent Night_.

I help Renee and Aunt Helen cook the Christmas dinner. We've had many "girl dates" and I now know what those are. It's where Renee and Aunt Helen spend a lot of money on clothes and stuff. Renee buys me stuff all the time, but on these days we go also go eat and watch silly love movies. It's a lot of fun. Alice and Esme even joined us a few times.

"You're it!" Riley shouts as he pokes me in the back.

I giggle as I run after him around our house until someone knocks at the door.

It's Edward.

"Hey," I greet him with a hug. He smells like the cold outside and cinnamon. I get excited when I see that he's holding a gift. "Is that m-m-mine?"

He chuckles and gives me a kiss on the forehead. "Of course. I came for a few minutes before going to my family to give you this."

I quickly tear the wrapping paper off, open the box and read out loud. "S-S-Sky…Skype?"

"Yeah, I heard about Arizona," he whispers.

"Eh-Edward, I was going t-to tell you. I just d-d-didn't know how. I don't even wa-wanna go," I cry and he just chuckles. He pulls me into his arms again.

"I know, my sweet Kid. Your mom said it was for a few months since you'll be going to school there too while Charlie works on his business. Believe me I almost went crazy thinking I wouldn't be able to see you for a long time, but then Alice, being the smartass that she is, reminded me that there is technology that will let me see your pretty face often. This is what this box will do for us. Renee will help you set it up."

"You really b-b-bought this for us? And here I w-w-was freaking out that I w-wouldn't see you."

"We'll always have each other, remember?"

I nod.

"I'm going to Chicago."

"When?"

"Next month for school. We have family there and I've always liked it for school."

"Oh." I try not to cry, but somehow I feel like this means our relationship is going to eventually end and I don't want that.

"Don't cry, Kid. We'll keep in touch and when you finally move back to Seattle, I'll be here again and we can hang out."

"You p-p-promise?"

"Yeah, I promise. We're both growing up so fast and this was going to happen eventually. But it doesn't mean we have to stop being friends. You'll always have a big chunk of my heart, you silly girl."

"I love you, Edward."

~NLG~

"This is awesome!" Riley shouts at his new video game. I roll my eyes because he already has hundreds of those things and that's the same thing he says every time Mom buys him a new one.

"Yeah, it won't be so awesome when your brain rots," Charlie jokes, making us laugh.

"It's your turn now, Kid," Renee says as she pulls a heavy box to my feet.

It's a box filled with old and new books. I bounce with excitement.

"They are all my favorite books and the ones I wanted to give you so many years ago. Also, some new stories that are currently popular like the one with the vampires and stuff. I think you'll like them. You can stop reading those small books Jen gives you over and over again. These are much better anyway."

I jump to my feet and wrap my arms around her. "Thanks, Mom," I whisper. She doesn't say anything, but I can hear her sniffle.

When I pull back and find her tear stained cheeks, she gives me an assuring smile that lets me know she's okay. "You don't know how long I've waited for you to call me that. It makes me so happy."

I smile and turn to Charlie who stares on with a joyful smile of his own. I stand and make my way to him.

"And th-tha-thank you, Dad," I say. He chuckles and hugs me tightly.

"Anything for you, my sweet girl."

The night continues with more gifts and laughter. I take a moment to look around at the people that are now my family. I guess I do have some luck.

I don't have to wonder or pretend anymore. I don't have to wonder what it would be like to be loved by a family.

I know now.

It's the most wonderful feeling.

I finally have a home.

* * *

**Sooo…that's still not an ending chapter. No matter how it sounds haha**

**So five more chapters.**

***Sigh* the end is near. E fans hang tight. The next chapter might start how you didn't think it would...**

**Leave me some love and hugs for Kid in the review box. Also, let me know if you agree with Dr. Tyler about Dolly ;) **

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl where I post teasers and discussion topics.**

**Adios y hasta pronto! **


	26. Back

**Hola everyone!**

**Here is Edward…also, I lied before. This might not be his last point of view chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 26- Back

Getting older is a strange feeling when you begin to realize it in your body. I'm only 28 now, but sometimes I feel so much older.

The stress of working such long shifts in a hospital and feeling as if the world lies heavily on your shoulders takes so much energy.

I miss my family.

I'm moving back to Seattle in a week and I'm really excited. Living on my own in Chicago has been fun and life changing, but I know it would have been better if I had someone to share it with.

I've made friendships that I know I'll keep for the rest of my life, but I've spent most of my days alone because of my work hours and using the internet during my few minutes of free time to keep in touch with everyone back home.

A few months ago, I thought to myself "why not just move back?"

I really want to spend time with my niece, Natalie and my sister Alice and my good friend Jasper. I actually want to see my retired parents who have been very supportive. I've only seen them these past years during holidays and random vacation weeks. I can't wait to finally have more time with each of them.

And then there's Kid.

My sweet and beautiful Kid.

I've only seen her a handful of times in the past six years. I haven't seen her in the last two. We keep in touch just as we promised we would, but it isn't as much as we probably hoped. Every time she comes to mind I'll send her a text message and we'll spend an hour or so just texting about silly things.

I still remember the first time she text messaged me. It was an adorable "Hi. This is Kid." The grin on my face at that moment was huge and painful. Her spelling has gotten better and our conversations have become more in depth and complex with the years. It's compelling how I can see her maturing with every text message or email.

We started messaging and seeing each other less when I got busy with school and work and when the Swans moved around a few times. I really don't know where she is at now. She didn't answer my last phone call and I'm a little concerned. Maybe I'm just being paranoid as I tended to be with her in the past.

I really do miss her. I miss her innocent and sweet mind and those small glimpses into her big heart.

"So you're really moving?"

"Yes."

Emily takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry it didn't work out between us."

"Yeah, but we can be good friends," I say and I automatically cringe into the phone because I know that's not what she wanted to hear and I sound like an ass. We've been off for two weeks now and I think she was holding onto the idea that we could make it work eventually.

But I know we wouldn't have survived.

"You're closing in on 30, Edward."

I chuckle. "And?"

"You don't think about family? Don't you want one?"

"Do you think I should have that with you? Why are you asking this?"

"I'm just being that good friend you want and stating a concern."

I roll my eyes.

"I want one, Emily. I want the wife and the kids, but I still think it's too soon. And if it doesn't happen for me, I'm okay with that too."

I hear her sigh. "I just don't understand you, Edward. We have so much in common."

"And you'll have so much in common with someone else."

I'm not calling her again.

I've dated a few times. After Kate died, I didn't think I would feel the same way for another woman or even move on. Thankfully I met a sweet girl that made me see that I needed to start living my life again. I've tried the dating thing, but it just hasn't worked out the way I wanted it.

I don't know if I'm expecting too much. I've come to the conclusion that it might be a while until I meet someone that I want to be with.

And I'm okay with that.

~NLG~

Tomorrow is the big day. I'll be arriving in Seattle and seeing my family again. I call Mom to let her know my arrival time. I want to ask her about Kid but we have to end our conversation, because I've caught her in traffic.

I've even Googled her. There are articles about the Swans' business and power in Seattle and one small bit about them finding their daughter, but no pictures or anything in detail.

I sigh, resigned that I won't know about her until I get home.

Its late in the night and I have to hurry and finish packing. I swallow a bowl of cereal for dinner and watch some ESPN while I finish placing my crap in boxes.

I get a phone call from an unknown number and I decide to ignore it as I really want to finish.

I shower, make sure I'm not leaving anything behind for shipment and head to sleep.

I head to the airport in the early morning. It's not until I'm asked to turn off my cell phone by the flight attendant that I realize I have a voicemail from that same number I ignored last night.

I decide I can check it when I land.

"I can't believe you're home!" Alice shouts as I hug her tight.

"Shh, you're causing a scene," I whisper with a chuckle, but Alice being Alice, doesn't care and continues showing her excitement with her loud voice.

"Welcome home, buddy," Jasper says as we give each other a brief hug.

I kiss my three year old niece on the cheek. I was afraid little Natalie wouldn't recognize me, but when her green eyes light up I realize I was wrong.

I kiss my mother on the cheek as well and give my father a firm handshake.

"You know, all of you didn't have to come and clutter the airport," I joke.

"As if we would have let Mom and Dad greet you by themselves! You should know us better, Ed," Alice says as they help me with my bags and out the door.

It's raining as usual in Seattle. I smile to myself because I've truly missed it here, even the damn rain.

Esme and Carlisle invite me to lunch, but I decline. I'm determined to get settled in at my new apartment, but I agree to dinner. Jasper and Alice live in the same area so they are driving me.

I sit in the backseat of their car with little Natalie.

We talk about nonsense and laugh at future plans. I tell them how I got a job at the hospital and other stuff Alice asks about. She hasn't changed a bit.

"I keep forgetting to check this voicemail," I tell them. "Let me listen to it really quick." I press the play button and when I hear that voice I've missed for so long, I don't dare move out of fear it might not be real.

"_Hey, Edward, this is Bel…Kid. I'm calling you from my mom's phone." _I hear her sigh. _"I dropped mine and of course it broke. I'm silly like that. I found out tha-that you're moving back to Seattle. I wanted to t-t-talk to you, but I guess you're busy. Why d-d-don't you give me a call back when you can? Okay, bye. Miss you."_

"Who was it?" Alice asks.

"What?"

"Who was the person that left you the voicemail?"

"Uh…" I'm lost in a daze.

"You look a little pale."

"It's from the excitement."

She looks at me weird, but I know she won't give up until I give her an answer.

"I just…I haven't heard her voice in ages. She sounds the same but different. I'm happy to hear her."

"Bella?" Jasper questions.

"Bella!" Natalie shouts with excitement.

"Yes, baby, your Aunt Bella," Alice tells her.

"Who the hell is Bella?" I ask.

Alice laughs. "Bella is Kid. Kid is Bella. She prefers to be called Bella now.""

"Since when?"

"Since a while back. Like, since years ago."

"Well, she never told me," I argue and I know I sound ridiculous being upset, but I hate that Ki…Bella didn't tell me this.

"I think she just didn't have the heart to tell you," Alice says. "She changed it to accommodate her changing and maturing. She's really changed, Edward. You should see and talk to her. She isn't a kid anymore. But with maturing and growing up, also comes the loss of relationships and ideas. Maybe she was afraid she would lose you since you were so far away and clinging to the part you do know of her."

"Alright, Dr. Phil, calm down," I huff. "She's probably still my sweet Kid. You're just crazy."

"Alright, Mr. Denial. You'll get to see her tomorrow."

"How? Is she in the city?"

"Yeah, the Swans moved back a few years ago. They travel a lot now, but they are mostly here in Seattle. Bella is having a graduation party…of course I'm the one that is handling it and it was my idea," she laughs.

"Graduation party?"

"Yeah, Bella is finally done with all her school. She's graduating high school…kinda. Smart girl did it all in six years."

"Of course, the program she took isn't as long as normal school," Jasper says. Alice slaps his arm and Natalie giggles at their playful fighting.

"That is beyond the point!"

"Sorry," he mutters.

"Anyway, she probably called you to invite you. You should call her back and accept, you fool! But you're going anyway, because I can't wait for you to meet our sweet Aunt Bella."

"Bella!" Natalie agrees.

~NLG~

Before I head over to my parent's house for dinner, I finish unpacking most of my things at my new place. I take a quick shower and get dressed, before grabbing my phone.

I take a deep breath. I don't know why I'm nervous. It's still sweet Kid. Knowing her, we'll talk like nothing has changed or like time hasn't passed.

"Hello?" Renee answers.

"Hello, Renee, this is Edward. Is Kid around?"

I feel like an idiot. I sound like a teenage boy calling a girl's house for the first time.

She chuckles. "Hi, Edward. She got a new cell phone, but I'll go ahead and pass her this one. Please tell her to quit breaking her phones."

"Mom!" I hear in the background as the phone is passed along. "Hey, Edward. How are you?"

I'm a little struck back at her not so shy voice.

"I, uh…"

"Are you there?" she asks with a giggle.

The sound reminds me of who I'm talking to. Suddenly I'm okay. I shake my head and laugh at myself.

"Yeah, I'm just a little excited to finally talk to you."

"Yeah, same here. Isn't it crazy that we haven't actually spoken to each other in a very long t-t-time? I missed your voice, Mr. Cullen."

"Did you lose your phone a lot? I don't have missed calls from you, Miss. Swan."

"Oh, whatever. You d-d-didn't call me either. I had school and stuff. D-d-did you forget how to use a phone, old man?"

I chuckle. "Enough! It's both our fault."

"Fine," she mutters.

"So I hear you're having a party tomorrow? Something about you finishing school or something?"

"Yes! Your sister is horrible. She d-d-doesn't know what 'no' means."

"Tell me about it. I had to live with her for a long time."

"You're invited. I think it would make the party more bearable if you're th-th-there."

"Why is that?"

"Because…I miss you and it would give me an excuse to not be at the center of att-attention and hang out with you."

"So you're using me?"

"In part, yes. But please come! We can watch T-T-TV or something while everyone else acts a fool."

I grin into the phone. She's really a goof.

"I guess…Of course I'll be there, you silly girl."

"Cool, I'll see you tomorrow then, Cullen."

"Sure thing, Swan."

~NLG~

The Swan's house is not a house. It's a damn mansion. I find a parking spot and check my tie in the mirror before grabbing Kid's present and head over to the door.

A lady I don't know answers the door, takes my gift and lets me know everyone is in the backyard. I thank her and head over to the direction she pointed at.

I'm busy with finding my way that I don't notice the tall figure crossing my path and suddenly I'm rubbing my chest and stare at a big kid with brown hair and eyes that I ran into.

"Sorry, dude."

"Riley?"

He laughs. "Edward?"

"Jesus, you're huge."

"I am eighteen. What? Did you expect the little twelve year old boy still?" he jokes and roughly slaps my back.

"Yeah, I guess I've lost track of time," I mutter as I rub the spot he just slapped.

"Bella is out back. She keeps asking if I've seen you, so you better hurry, man. My sister doesn't like waiting," he says and hands me a cup of what I assume is punch.

I take a sip of the fruity drink and finally make it to the back of the Swan's huge house. Alice greets me with a hug and since Bella stepped away for a few minutes, she introduces me to a few of Bella's teachers that helped her and friends from where she works.

Jacob Black happens to be one of them.

"Hey, I know you," he jokes and offers his hand for a handshake. I take it firmly and give him a meek smile. He looks older and much bigger so I decide to play nice, though, I can't find it in me to like him. I don't know even know why. He's a nice guy from what I can see, but knowing he's spent more time with my…

"Edward?" I hear her ask excitedly and my head snaps in her direction.

And there she is, standing with her nervous hands fiddling with each other and her bottom lip in between her teeth.

Kid.

Her very long curled brown hair is around her shoulders and the white blouse she wears makes her pale skin glow. She looks much older. All childish traces gone from her face.

She gives me a big smile and starts walking toward me.

"K…Bella?" I whisper and make my way to her. Before I can finish closing our distance, she takes the lead, jumps and wraps me in a tight hug.

"Edward! I'm so glad to see you. I've missed you so much," she whispers in my ear.

"I've missed you too, Kid…I mean, Bella."

She giggles and slowly pulls her head back. I wipe at her tear stained cheeks.

"You're so…gorgeous…I mean…"

"Oh, hush, you silly man," she teases. "You look different. I like it."

"How different?"

"I'm not saying."

"Well you don't look like a kid anymore. You look older and more mature."

"Really? Finally!" She says and we both laugh. "Though I still sometimes watch cart-t-cartoons and I still have Dolly on my bed. Is that okay?"

I smile at her teasing tone. "It's still you." I caress her cheek with my thumb, ignoring that we are still holding each other and that there are people around us.

"I am still the same…sorta. I th-think you'll find me a little d-d-different, but in a good way."

"Well your stutter is almost nonexistent."

"Yeah, I know. I still have problems with the 'd' and 't.' My therapist says it's because I th-think about those letters t-t-too much when I'm talking, but then I can't help it. I keep thinking about not screwing up and then I stutter. I'm a little nuts," she says and laughs at her ramblings.

"You sound amazing," I assure her.

"Yeah, you better say that, Cullen."

"Who are all these people?" I ask as I look around. "I thought you just moved back here a few years ago."

"I can make friends pretty quick, jerk."

"I didn't imply that you couldn't." I playfully tickle her side.

She laughs again, the sound making me grin. "I've known them all for a while. My dad helped me start a foster home program in the city about t-t-two years ago. I wanted to help kids off the streets. It's an internal foster facility home. All of th-th-these people you see, work for me as foster parents, cooks, cleaning people, teachers, volunteers or have been some part of the start up."

"Work for _you_?"

"Yeah, Mom, D-D-Dad and I are in charge of it."

I don't say anything and stare into her big brown eyes. They haven't changed a bit. She speaks and looks like an older version of that frightened young girl that saved my life six years ago. She doesn't resemble that filthy homeless kid I took in or like that hungry person that would be extra nice for a piece of toasted bread. She no longer looks like that girl, but looking into her eyes I realize it's really still her.

The sweetness and good heart that made her that special person everyone came to love are still there. I can see it in her eyes. She's not a stranger as I had feared she would be on my way to her house.

She's still that beautiful girl with the big heart in such a crazy world.

She's just not a little girl anymore.

"What are you looking at?" she asks with a smile on her lips but some concern in her voice.

I smile. "You're just as amazing as always."

She giggles and takes my hand in hers. "Come, let me show you around."

I nod frantically, excited for what she has for me to see.

* * *

**Once again not an ending chapter. I know it sounds like it.**

**Promise.**

**Leave some love and hugs for Kid…Bella? That feels strange typing :/ Let me know what you think of her name change. **

**Hope you follow me as an author. I have another fic up my sleeves that I hope you guys will enjoy. That will be posted before or after Nobody's Little Girl ends.**

**Follow me on Twitter at HelloElla90 and join the facebook group, Kid Talk: Nobody's Little Girl where I post teasers and discussion topics.**

**Adios y hasta pronto! **


	27. Can't Wait

**Hola! Sorry for the wait. I'm two days late! Shame on me!**

**Here is Edward.**

* * *

Chapter 27- Can't Wait

Bella Swan is a 23 year old young woman living in Seattle with her mother, father and teenage brother. On weekdays she works at High Star Children's Home and in the afternoons she takes online college classes with the help of her tutor.

She has a slight stutter, but you'll miss it if you're too busy staring at her shining brown eyes as she speaks with enthusiasm about what it is she does to help children that are removed from the custody of their parents or left alone.

She speaks passionately, moving her hands in the air to emphasize each point she makes. From time to time she'll place her small hands over mine and ask me if I need something or if I'm enjoying my time.

We haven't moved from the couch in what might be hours while all her guests talk away. We talk about everything we can think of. We talk mostly about her, because I press on with questions. I can tell she doesn't like to do it, but when it has to do with her job, her face lights up and those brown eyes I've always loved widen with excitement.

We're interrupted a few times by her friends and Alice, of course, but right after they leave, she continues as if we hadn't been bothered.

"There was th-th-this girl who tried running away a few t-t-times, but when she finally gave into our help," Bella takes a deep breath and grins at the memory. "You should see her now, Edward. She's so smart. She's even thinking about g-g-going to college. I'm really proud of her. She lives on her own now, but once in a while she'll call me just to t-t-talk."

"That's so wonderful. I'm glad these kids have you, Ki…Bella."

She giggles at my fumbling words.

"Sorry," I chuckle.

"It's okay. It took me a while t-t-to get used to the name change. It was a tough d-d-decision, but it was a must," she says and smiles at me as if trying to tell me something else with the softness of her eyes and expression.

"Why? Why do you think it was necessary? You're still the same person I care about so deeply. You're still the same sweet girl."

"Thanks, but I want you to also see that I'm now an adult. I've held onto to beliefs and my positivity, or at least I hope I d-d-did. But I also let go of childish notions and selfish thoughts. Of course I'm not p-p-perfect, but I hope that I'm an older, realized and matured version of that girl you came to care about so d-d-deeply."

I caress her blushed cheek as the cool evening air takes over.

"I can see that now," I tell her.

She grins, takes my hand and places a sweet kiss on the back of it. "I've missed you so much, Edward," she whispers and jumps up. She wraps her arms around me and buries her face into my neck. "I hope we can spend more time t-t-together."

"Yeah, I hope for the same."

"I want you to meet some p-p-people. Come with me," she says and takes my hand. She presents me to some of the volunteers she works with. She explains how they help her and how much she appreciates them.

I'm so busy and in a Bella bubble that I don't realize that she's pulling me towards her family and most importantly, Charles Swan.

"Dad," she says and it's still strange hearing her referring to him like that. "Look who it is." She pulls me forward and there standing with his hands in his suit pockets and his once brown hair now turning gray, is the man she calls father and the man that still manages to intimidate the hell out of me.

"Hello, Mr. Swan," I say and extend a hand for him to shake.

He glares, studying my face before finally taking my hand in a firm and almost painful handshake.

"Cullen," he mutters. "You look old."

"Dad!"

"Sweetie, I'm just stating the truth."

"Please forgive my f-f-father, Edward," she pleas.

I chuckle. "Its fine, Bella. Your father means no harm."

I hope.

"You look just fine," Renee says and pulls me forward for a tight hug. "It's so nice to finally see you again. Bella tells me you work at the hospital now."

"Yes ma'am. I'm a…"

"He's a nurse," Charles says with a smirk on his face.

"Yes, I'm a nurse." I try to sound prideful, but his damn smirk doesn't falter.

"Well I think that's wonderful," Renee continues. "I mean you obviously have such a great caring heart. I'm sure our dear Bella can attest to that."

"He d-d-does," sweet Bella says and nudges her forehead into my shoulder as her hold of my arm tightens.

I smirk when Charlie rolls his eyes. He seems not to like that Bella has affection for me. Well he'll just have to get over it. I'm not going anywhere anymore. I'm staying with my sweet Ki…Bella.

Her parents walk away, promising to catch up with us later. I take advantage that nobody is looking and press my lips against Bella's forehead. I can hear her gasp as she takes hold of my shirt and as I pull her close to me.

"Have I told you that I've missed you?"

"You might have mentioned it," she mumbles into my neck.

"I honestly don't know how I managed these years without you. I mean I knew how good you were for me and I thrived with the feeling that gave me, but now that I see you and have you in my presence, it's like once again I'm reminded how lucky I am to have you. I won't be a fool anymore. I'm such an idiot for missing so much of you."

"It was necessary. We both had to g-g-grow," she assures me. "We had to b-b-become different people. Why d-d-don't you come with me and a few friends? We're going to some bar Jake likes because he g-g-gets to act like a moron in front of a karaoke machine. That way we can spend more time together."

"Bar? You drink, Kid?"

She giggles. "Not really. I just go to make sure Jacob doesn't break anything. He's kinda nutty."

The more I hear her talk about Jacob the more I can feel myself get agitated. I agree to go with her and these friends…and Jacob. She agrees to let me drive her while they'll take a different car. The party at her house ends. Everyone acts as if it's incredibly important for them to individually say their goodbyes to her. I can see how much they care for her. I'm not surprised though.

She is amazing.

"What do you think your dad meant by calling me old?" I ask and she giggles, tightening her cardigan sweater around herself. It's a light yellow color and she looks extremely cute in it.

_Cute?_

_What the hell?_

"He's just being a g-g-goof."

"You don't think I look old, right?"

"Nah, though you do have a f-f-few wrinkles and gray hairs. Nothing major."

"I don't think I like you right now," I mutter as she continues to giggle, the sound filling the car.

As we walk in the parking lot, she wraps her arm around mine and I can't help the grin that appears on my face. Her warm body is very close as we rush to try and get out of the cold.

"Keep me warm, Edward!"

"I'm trying."

Bella's friends are all employees at the foster home and unfortunately for me, I'm the oldest person at the table and the only stranger. They are all very nice, but I can't help but huff and roll my eyes at Jacob as he jokes with her and gets all the laughs from everyone else.

He makes her take a sip from his frozen margarita. Bella squeals as she gets a brain freeze and digs her face into my shoulder. She's so damn adorable.

"Calm down, party animal," I whisper in her ear as she giggles away her pain.

She playfully slaps my shoulder and starts drinking from her water. "You can't s-s-stop me."

"Remember that one time you wanted Bella to try beer and she puked it up?" One of the girls says to Jacob and I swear I don't care how long ago that was, I want to punch him in the face for being so stupid. Or maybe I want to punch him because she's experienced things with him that I would have liked. But before I can say anything smart, Bella laughs again.

"Why you gotta b-b-bring that up? Losers." Bella pouts. "I have a sensitive stomach."

"You're a sensitive everything," Jacob jokes.

"Don't hate. Edward would you have made f-f-fun of me?"

"Um…"

"Jerk!"

Everyone laughs. It had been a while since I've laughed at silly things. The DJ starts a dancing song making Jacob stand. He looks over to Bella and wiggles his eyebrows.

"Let's go dance!" he shouts and takes her hand, leading her to the dance floor. Kid would have shied away and maybe even hidden behind me in fear, but here was brave Bella, not once pulling away from Jacob's grasp.

I hold back from showing how jealous I am that she's off with him, but I quickly forget all anger and jealousy as I watch on.

She's so bad at dancing and she knows it. She giggles and exaggerates her movements as Jacob tries his best to teach her, but she could care less that she's making a fool of herself. She's just having fun.

"I'm pretty bad, aren't I?" she asks as she returns to my side.

"Awful. Like on a scale from one to painful…you're agonizingly painful."

She grins with pride and takes another sip of water.

"Are you having fun, old fart?"

I chuckle. "I have to be honest that I was afraid I wouldn't with all you kids, but I was wrong."

"We can have more f-f-fun."

"Oh, how?"

"Are you working t-tomorrow?"

"Nope. I don't start until next week."

"Cool. Why don't you come by the home tomorrow? I want you to meet all of the k-k-kids. I think you would like it."

"Really? I can just drop by and hang out with you?"

"You would be hanging out with m-m-me and a bunch of eight and nine year olds…and maybe some teenagers."

"Sounds like a blast."

"Oh it is! They d-d-don't really have any male interactions as most care takers are women, so maybe you can come over and play with them as a dad for a day."

"That actually sounds like fun."

"You don't have to c-c-come if you d-d-don't wanna."

"Bella!"

"What?"

"I want to come. Besides, I want to see you in action while you do what you love best."

She smiles and before I know it, she plants a kiss on my cheek, leaving me stunned.

"What was that for?"

"For being the same sweet Edward I remember. So k-k-keep him around."

~NLG~

High Star Children's Home is a large facility. The Swans really did go all out on this project of theirs. I imagine guilt for what happened to their daughter and mostly Bella's good heart had to do with it. I park in the visitors' area and from my view I can see a few children playing in the playground. It's rather large and any kid would be envious.

I smile to myself and head inside. I'm impressed with how everything is well kept and clean. There are actual pictures of kids laughing and happy on the walls. I imagine real kids that live here, not any kid models who were told to smile. You can see the honest happiness in their face.

From studying the pictures I get somewhat lost in the halls. I spot a short blonde lady, wearing khaki pants and a baby blue polo shirt talking to someone that I assume is the cleaning person. After the cleaning person walks off, I walk over to the blonde lady hoping she can point me to the right direction.

"Miss? Excuse me, but could you tell me where I need to go to talk to Bella Swan?"

The blonde lady turns around. I recognize those faded blue eyes and raised eyebrow. I look at her name tag which is pinned under the stitched name of the home to confirm.

I can't help but chuckle of joy and amusement. I rub my neck and shake my head. I should have expected this knowing Bella was in charge.

"Well, look who it is? The pretty rich boy. It's about damn time you show up around here," Jessica says.

"Hello, Jessica."'

"Hi."

"I almost didn't recognize you."

"Yeah, I bet. I'm bathed and my face isn't bruised by some asshole. I could confuse anybody. But it's me."

I chuckle and without warning, take her in my arms for a quick hug.

"What in the blue? What was that for?" she asks.

"Is it weird that I'm really happy you're here?"

"A little," she says with a loud chuckle. "Kid…Bella…whatever. I'll always call her Kid. Anyway, Kid's parents turned out to be rich old bastards and she made them open up this place for kiddies on the streets or that have been removed from a dangerous home. She went to my shitty apartment and asked if I wanted to work for her. Ha! I laughed because I thought she was full of shit. Imagine, poor little stuttering Kid, rich and giving charity? But she showed me her plans, I had to say yes. She gave me the opportunity to change professions, if you know what I mean. She wanted me to help in the office, you know because she likes me, but you and I and even Kid know I ain't smart. I am good at cleaning. So she made me the facilities manager."

"That's really great, Jessica. I'm happy Bella did this for you. You of all people deserve so much. You're the only one that really helped her out of the kindness of your heart."

She smirks and scratches her head. "Don't make me cry, Ed. You know I did what anybody with a damn heart would have done for that sweet girl. Hell, I should have done more."

"Not everybody would have been brave enough to help some teenage runaway without asking why," I say, trying to convince her that she's an amazing person.

"I think she helped me. As corny as that sounds. During my shitty life, that girl showed me good people do exist. I think I wanted to save her so she could prove me wrong, keep that hope in me alive and show the world that not everything is so damn screwed. And now, Bella is my really good friend. The best if you wanna call it that."

~NLG~

"You put the water in first," Bella tells 15 year old Amanda. She was taken out of her home and away from her drug addicted parents. They used to beat her and make her beg for money so they could get more drug money. She seems a little rough around the edges with tattoos on her left arm and a mean stare, but with Bella she acts as if they are just two good friends cooking together. She's calm and at ease and even giggles with her. "You have to add s-s-salt and a little olive oil."

"What? What for?"

"So the n-n-noodles won't stick together."

"Really? That's cool. Who thought of that?"

Bella giggles. "Not me. Let it boil and then add the p-pasta."

"Okay. Are you gonna stick around? Don't leave me. I'll freak out if you leave."

Bella smiles and places a hand on her back.

"Of course I'll be around, Amanda. I'll be over here with Edward. R-r-read the rest of the instructions and let me know if you need anything."

She finally joins me and looks at me questioningly.

"What you lookin' at, Edward? You're creeping me out with that s-s-stare and crooked smirk."

I smile to the table and nervously scratch at a missed tomato stain.

"You're just…I wish there would have been a Bella Swan to help Kid. I wish Kid would have met you and that you would have helped her learn how to cook and take care of herself because the world failed her. I wish you would have showed her that it's okay to be a kid and to enjoy it."

I have no idea why there is a knot in my throat, but I swallow it away, hoping she doesn't catch my teary eyes.

She smiles and places her soft hands over mine.

"I _was_ that girl. Maybe I wasn't lucky to have this kind of help when I was younger, but I th-th-think it was so I would know how to help the rest of these kids. I'm still v-v-very young and I still like w-watching cartoons instead of the news with Dolly," she says with a shy smile on her pretty lips making me laugh. "But I think everything happens for a reason. There is a reason I met Jessica. There is a reason I met you." She takes my hand and squeezes it with so much tenderness. "There is a reason why I was so lonely f-f-for so long."

"What's the reason for that last one?"

She smiles down at the table. A beautiful blush covers her cheeks. "So I could teach Amanda Roth how to cook spaghetti and that using the f-word as an adjective isn't cool or classy."

I laugh again. I check to see if Amanda is looking. She's busy reading the label on the back of the tomato sauce can.

I take Bella's lovely soft face in my hands and kiss her cheek. I hear her gasp and I pull away to check if it's okay. After a few seconds and her wide eyes studying my face, she smiles and kisses my cheek. The warmth of her lips spreading across my skin leaves me out of breath. My eyes glance at her pouty mouth and I really want to know how it would feel pressed against my own, but suddenly I feel guilty for feeling this way.

She's much younger than I am and she probably sees me as Edward, the old guy that helped her when she was a kid.

Also, there might be Jacob and I really hate that he might be an issue.

I sit back down, disappointed but knowing it's for the best.

~NLG~

"Since you'll be busy with your f-family for Christmas, why don't you have d-d-dinner with us tomorrow night?" Bella asks as we drive back from lunch.

"Are you sure Mr. Swan would want me there?" I ask.

"It really doesn't ma-matter. I want you there."

"Aren't you going to have Jacob over for dinner?" I ask. In reality, this is my "genius" way to ask her about him without being obvious.

"What? Why would I? I mean, he's a g-g-great friend, but…"

"I just thought you two were going out or something," I mumble.

She giggles. "I'm not going to call that c-c-crazy because we did date…if you can call it that."

Those words sting and the fucker gets more on my nerves now.

"Did? As in the past?"

"Yes, as in the past, d-d-dork. But we're better friends than anything romantic. I think I was s-s-still growing up at that time. It was a b-b-bad decision. I just started having these…uh…um…feelings about boys and I thought, 'why not d-d-date Jacob who is always asking.' Yeah, it was a bad d-d-decision. I think no matter how old I was mentally, Jacob was always just a kid," she says laughing. "He still is."

"Well I'm glad that's in the past…I mean…" I really know how to screw up words.

She smirks and continues staring at the road ahead of us. "I did have my f-f-first kiss with him."

I bite down, holding my stupid comments back and not letting her see how jealous I am. Mostly, I don't want to admit that to myself. But I can't help it. She's so wonderful and…

"It was pretty awesome," she says with a hint of humor in her voice.

I glare at her making her laugh loudly.

"You should have seen your f-f-face!"

"Whatever, Bella. You brat."

"Aw, why are you ma-mad?"

"That wasn't a funny joke and I don't like him."

"Oh, d-dear." She covers her mouth to hide her silly smile, but I can hear her giggling.

"I'll go to that dinner at your parents'."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just tell your dad to put up any guns he has and save me a seat next to you."

"Maybe we can watch TV together, like old t-t-times."

"Or maybe you can bake me a chocolate cake."

She claps. "I do make an awesome one."

"Good. I can't wait for it."

She takes my hand in hers. I decide to worry about the morals and the bullshit rules about all this later and enjoy the warmth of her hand in mine.

"Yeah, I can't wait."

* * *

**That felt short, but in reality it's the same length as previous chapters…**

**Anywho, the next chappie will be in everyone's favorite girl POV, Kid…I mean Bella :( *Sigh* I kinda miss the nickname. I write faster in her POV. Maybe because this is her story.**

**This is coming to an end very soon. I find it hard to end stories so it takes me longer to write the last chapters. I just don't wanna say goodbye! But its time. I don't like getting bored with my fav fics when they are extended too much so I hope that didn't happen with you and NLG with 30 chapters.**

**Sometimes, characters just don't wanna talk anymore! And that's okay, because the real story is over.**

**Befriend me on FB at Ella Hello and follow me on twitter at HelloElla90 for news on my new fic which will be posted soon. It'll be a little angsty and it's more of a romance than NLG. I hope you like it :)**

**Adios. **


	28. Scared

Chapter 28- Scared

Growing older is not how I imagined it.

I always knew that age and intelligence would give me freedom. I waited anxiously for the day that I no longer had to rely on hope and childish dreaming to have what I wanted. I couldn't wait to take hold of what I cared for or desired the most with my own two hands without fear of failure and of the unknown.

I wanted to be like those older women that worked for Dad with their high heels and heads held high. They walked with so much confidence and as if nothing would ever hurt them. They had the knowledge and the understanding that I had yet to learn.

I was going to be like them one day. I was going to be even better. I, the once lonely and hungry homeless girl, had found my way to survival and survive I did. I have an advantage they don't have. I know of the cruelties of the world and the people in it. I have faced death and worst of all I have survived what breaks so many humans down.

Loneliness.

Unlike these women I once envied, I know what to do in order to avoid stupid errors and what it takes to earn happiness. I know when to fight and when to let go of silly grudges. I know what is worth my time and my strengths.

As I dress myself to go into work, I ponder away. Ten years ago I was in some random alley in this big city, hoping someone would notice me and give me some leftovers or loose change so I wouldn't die. I probably went to sleep crying my eyes out, hoping a drunken bum wouldn't hear me.

I would like to think that I was brave and would have faced him or that I would have had the ability to get away. I always prided myself with being street smart. When I tell my stories to those teens who have nobody in life or that have people that are too selfish to even bother to care for them, they always clap and ask for the part where I threw a brick at a man's head to save another or the time I got away just in time from the bum who wanted to hurt me.

They tell me how brave and tough they think I am.

But in reality I was just a scared girl, trying with every ounce not to give up. I was always a second away from doing so.

I was just as scared as they are now.

I know they're scared of the unknown future and angry about being "that kid" with the junkie parents or about having to live dependent on people they don't even know. I've realized that they don't care that I was scared too or that they're stronger than me. All they care about is that I'm their proof that they can make it too. That's why I do what I do. I want to be that hope they hold onto until it's their turn to show up in the world and make that final decision of who they're going to be.

I smile as I throw on my shirt. My eyes have landed on Dolly, my old friend. She lies face up on my bed and enjoying the nice bed sheets.

"You sure are lazy, D-D-Dolly," I tell her and take her into my hands. I caress her face with my fingers. "I'll see you later. I have to go to work. Today I'm teaching the teens how to fill out applications for work. They're gonna be grown ups in just a few short years. Wish me luck."

I give her a kiss and head downstairs where I have breakfast with my parents and brother. We talk about his plans on going to California for college and my plans for my future.

"You could go to any school, baby, and I would pay for it," Charlie says.

"I'm sure you would, Dad. But I want to s-s-stay here."

"Why? Just the other day you were saying how you liked a school program in Texas."

"Are you trying to g-g-get rid of me?" I joke, but I realize I might have hit a nerve as his face cringes. "I'm sorry. I was just joking. I didn't think…of my choice of w-w-words."

"Don't apologize, honey. I should be the one…"

"No, you've apologized to me every day for the past s-s-six years. I get, Dad. I do. Look, I love my job. Who would look after the organization if I left?"

"I would. Your mother would. I'm just worried about you not getting the education you deserve."

"My online classes are going well. Besides, people g-g-go to school to find out what they want to do for the rest of their life and I already know what that is."

"Helping kids?"

"Yes. I don't need a fancy pants education or a middle aged professor who works in air conditioned office to t-t-tell me how to survive the cruelties of the world and how to t-t-teach other unlucky kids about it. I know what I w-wa-want and how to get it. If I'm wrong about something, then I'll learn as I go."

Charlie smiles and proudly sits up in his chair. "That's my girl."

"She's mine too," Renee argues and kisses my forehead as she fills my glass with more orange juice.

"I'm not leaving the city, but I do want to move out one day," I say and Charlie starts to choke on his pancake.

"What? Why?"

"I thought you wouldn't have a p-p-problem with it since you were just pushing me to move to another state for school."

"But I would have helped you find a place to stay and taken care of your needs. You have that already here. You can't tell me this house isn't big enough."

"Of course it is, D-D-Dad. But I'm not a child anymore. I want a place closer to work and start being an adult."

"And so that you can hang out with Edward Cullen more," he mutters.

"I would hang out with Edward Cullen regardless."

He glares at me.

"You know that I don't like him for you. He's too old."

"He's only twenty-eight and th-th-that's not the point. I have to go. We'll talk about it more later."

"Oh yes, when the old man comes to have dinner with us. Why don't you invite Jacob? You know I like him."

"Dad!"

"Fine," he huffs.

I kiss the grump on the forehead and hug Mom before leaving.

~NLG~

"You're such a liar!"

"No! I'm innocent!"

"I can see it your face! You're lying."

"I'm hurt, Bella. You really think I would do that?"

"Umm, there is an empty plate and there is a smudge of chocolate on the corner of your lips. I say guilty!"

He chuckles and places an obnoxiously loud kiss on my cheek.

"Eww!" I screech and wipe away. "You better hope none of the kids s-s-saw that."

"They're outside playing."

"Jerk."

"Don't be mad."

"You're silly."

He chuckles again and takes my hands in his. He caresses my skin with his thumb and suddenly we're surrounded by silence. Our eyes study each other and I can feel how this makes my heart race.

Too soon it becomes too much. So I pull my hands out of his and head over to the sink full of dishes. The kiddos make quite the mess.

"We've been d-d-doing a lot of hand holding these past three days," I say as I start scrubbing a dirty dish.

"Does it bother you?" He asks, making his way to my side. He starts to fidget with the rinsing water.

"No, it doesn't. But I don't want to get c-c-confused anymore. I need to know what this all means. I don't want to make childish assumptions of what your signs of affection really mean. The last t-t-time I did, I was wrong about all of it. I know it's only been three d-d-days we've spent t-t-time together, but I know that for me, the way I feel around you hasn't changed."

I can feel him looking at me but I don't dare face him.

"I want to answer your questions. I do. But I just need time to sort things in my head. You're the same girl I met six years ago, but not. I'm very confused, but selfishly I hope you haven't changed your mind about me now. I hope that while growing up and learning more things about life that you haven't figured out that I'm not that great man you once thought I was. I'm just a normal man full of flaws. I guess I'm scared that you'll realize that and will let go."

I don't answer, but give him a smile to let him know that I understand what he's trying to say. Yet, I want to slap that gorgeous face of his for being so silly.

He helps me wash dishes as the kids play outside. They cleaning crew usually does this, but I don't mind helping out. Jessica doesn't like for me to do any cleaning, but she'll just have to get over it.

We stand in silence as we work together. I hand him plates and cups and he rinses. I catch him a few times just staring at me. He smirks and nervously turns away every time.

"A few months ago, before I made the decision to move back, I went out on a few dates with some girl," he says.

I momentarily stop washing the cup in my hand. I hold back my inclination to get mad. It would be silly of me to get upset so I continue washing. He has all the right in the world to go out on dates. But I can't help but feel jealous. I've always liked him. He was my first "crush." I know that's what it was back then. I know that now. But I can't let it go.

"She was clingy and we had nothing in common. I didn't like her ideas and opinions on certain things. She was pretty as can be, but I just didn't feel anything for her. Anyway, one night as I dropped her off at her place, she wanted me to stay, but I didn't. She pulled me in for a kiss, the first one we shared. I pulled back and said my awkward goodbyes and drove off as fast as I could. I had a few beers in my apartment, trying to push away the thoughts in my head."

"What is that you were thinking about? Did you end up liking her against your will?" I giggle.

He smiles and splashes water at me. He takes a deep breath before continuing with his story.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you," he says in a low voice. I stop washing and just stare at my soapy hands. "Remember that one night we argued and you ran away? That night I said those awful things to you."

"Of course I do."

"I kept thinking about what had inclined you to kiss me. I was such a mess back then and you heard it in those horrible things I said to you out of anger. I was lost and a sorry excuse for a man, but somehow you wanted to kiss me. Why?"

I stare into his green eyes, trying to remember every detail and feeling of when I pressed my lips against his that night.

"I was just being childish and immature."

"No. That can't be it."

I sigh and dry my hands. "Why does it matter now? Why does it matter what I did six years ago?"

"Because I wish I would have stayed," he finally confesses. "I selfishly wish I would have stayed with you and witness you becoming this amazing woman you are now and for you not to lose that reason for which you kissed me for."

"What makes you th-th-think I've lost that reason?"

"We're two different people now. You've only known me for three days."

"We are different, but we're the same p-p-people. I still feel that kind heart you've always had and that you try to d-d-deny."

"I want you to be sure of what you want from me before I say what I feel and I need to get rid of this notion that I once saw you as a kid. It fills me with guilt and holds me back. I know it's stupid. You're not a kid anymore. Trust me I can see that now," he says making me blush. He clears his throat. "Just do me a favor, Bella. Wait for me."

"I guess we both need time to decide why is that you're here with me now and you need to s-s-stop seeing me as a child. I'll wait for you Edward Cullen. I'll always have."

~NLG~

Edward is charming as usual at dinner. He deflects any rude comment made by Charlie and at the end they even have a conversation about football and politics. I can tell Charlie likes him, but he fights so hard not to let it show.

Silly old mad.

We're now in the living room. He's examining our family pictures. He points and laughs at the goofy ones and calls me "cute" and "adorable" and I really want to pinch him out of annoyance.

I take him upstairs to show him my room, thanking my lucky stars Charlie and Renee decided to go for a walk.

"You know who asked about you yesterday?" He asks as we reach the final step.

"Who?"

"Rosalie. You remember her?"

I glare at him. "How could I forget?"

He chuckles. "We really don't talk much, but Emmett decided to visit me and so he brought her along. She's the wife of course. Anyway, she asked me to ask you to hang out with her."

I giggle at the silly thought. "Really?"

"Yeah, I told her she was bat shit crazy if she thought you would want to even see her. She of course became upset with me, but I really don't care."

We reach my room and suddenly I'm nervous as he sees Dolly on my bed.

"I t-t-told you she's still around," I say in my defense.

He laughs and picks her up. "Nah, I wouldn't expect anything else. I've missed her."

"She's missed you too," I say.

~NLG~

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Jessica asks as she helps me finish inspecting the home for the night. I'm heading to the hospital to fill out paperwork for a newborn baby girl that has just been removed from her drug dealing mother's custody. She'll be our youngest child residing here.

"I'm sure. Besides, you need to g-g-go home and rest. You've b-b-been here all day."

"Kid, it ain't like I have anything else to do. I love being here and you know it."

"But you get t-t-tired. Go rest."

She huffs. "You're stubborn, Kid. But always right."

I giggle. "Of course I am. Now have a goodnight," I tell her and give her a hug.

"You too, Kid. Got a hot date with Edward tomorrow?"

I roll my eyes and pull away. "We're just hanging out."

"Uh-huh. You can also do other things while you 'hang.' He's a nice hunk of man if you ask me."

"Thanks, Jess. But I wasn't asking, now goodnight!"

"Whatever."

I drive to the hospital, hoping to get this paperwork done as soon as possible and get this baby to a comfortable and warm room.

"There is a possibility her mother had a drug problem. It looks like she slowed her cocaine addiction during her pregnancy." the social worker explains. "Fortunately, little Kandy is healthy. She had a few breathing issues, but the doctors got that under control. The mother is going to be taken into jail after she is released from the hospital and her father is on the run. It's safe to say that Kandy won't ever meet her parents."

I take a deep breath and wait for the little girl. Without realizing it, she and I already have some things in common. But I'll do anything to make her safe and happy. She'll never feel lonely or hungry. She'll always have someone.

Kandy is only a week old. She is pink and so tiny in my arms. She wiggles and lets out small cries. The nurse helps me feed her with a bottle and shows me how to burp her.

"Poor little thing won't have a mom," she says.

"She won't. But she'll have me," I assure her and place a kiss on Kandy's soft head.

~NLG~

"We're almost to your new home," I tell baby Kandy as we drive towards the facility. She'll be under the care of the staff until someone decides to adopt her or a foster family becomes available. She sleeps soundly, the rocking of the car and the rain hitting the window not bothering her at all.

"I know you don't understand r-r-r-right now. I know that you're not angry yet. You have yet to question anything or f-f-face the reality of your life. But I promise that when you first feel that hint of f-frustration, I'll be there for you."

We reach a red light and I turn back to check on her again. Her small belly rises and falls and her small fists are holding tightly to her blanket. I smile at her, enjoying the peace in her face.

Suddenly, there is a hard knock on my window making me jump.

I turn and see a young man with dark eyes staring down at me through the rain. There is another younger girl standing in front of the car.

"May I help you?" I ask with a shaky voice.

"Do you have some change? My sister is hungry," he says, not once blinking or even moving.

I gulp and frantically nod as I pull my purse from the passenger seat. With shaky hands I begin to look through my mess of papers and make-up for those dollar bills I know I have.

"You're taking too damn long," he shouts. "How about you get out of the car and I look through that purse myself?"

I'm about to hit reverse and escape but the man pulls out a small gun and points at my head.

"Don't make me do this, lady. Just get the fuck out of the car!"

I place the car in park and take a look back to see Kandy still sleeping. I hope to God I make it out of this and get to take her to a safe place. She deserves this chance. She deserves a chance to live.

I unlock the door and he quickly grabs me by the hair and pulls me out. I fall face first onto the ground. I ignore the stinging pain and turn around to face him. He takes my purse and aims the gun at my face.

"Come on, bro. We already have the money. Let's go!" The younger girl shouts.

He looks at me with so much anger and hate. I don't even know him. How can he feel this way for me? I haven't done anything to him.

I hear myself gasp for air and I know my eyes are pleading for him to leave me. He takes one more breath and shoves the gun against my forehead. I close my eyes, hoping this isn't how it all ends for me.

After what feels like an eternity too long, I open my eyes and find myself alone in the empty street. The car is still running and I'm still alive. Far ahead of the road, I can see the two kids running off with my purse full of useless things that will never make them happy.

I touch my face and wince realizing I probably have a few scratches. I get up and quickly jump into the car. I want to cry, but I hold it in. I have to get out of here. Kandy is now crying and asking me what is going on.

I take a look to my right, ready to take her away from this dark road, when my eyes catch the bridge I once knew so well. I would sleep under that bridge, hiding from the rain and from the evils the night brought.

I used to be so sure that I was safe there and that nobody would hurt me if only I kept quiet and out of sight.

With shaky hands I drive Kandy to the foster home and let Cynthia take her to her new room. She asks if I'm okay, but I just nod and leave. My soaked clothes and bloody cheek keep reminding me of what just happened. I drive in silence, impatiently headed to him.

_Six years ago._

"_You okay, Kid?" His voice is full of worry. _

"_I had a n-n-n-nightmare. I guess I'm n-n-not used t-t-to beds," I tell him._

_He chuckles and wraps an arm around me. "What was your nightmare about?" _

"_Some m-m-men wanted to hurt me out there," I say, pointing at the window._

"_It must have been scary to live so long and alone out on the streets. You're a brave girl, Kid. But you don't have to worry about that anymore. Sometimes, it doesn't matter how brave or tough we are. We all need someone to hold us together. I'll keep you safe."_

"_Okay," I agree with him, holding onto his hands and fall asleep as his warmth surrounds me._

"_You hold me together too, Kid," he whispers._

* * *

**It's short, I know! I was going to make it longer, but instead copied the last bit and pasted it onto chapter 29. **

**Two chapters left. Leave some love and hugs for Kid in the review box! **

**Check out my new story _Roughneck_. The short prologue has been posted. The first full length chapter will be posted tonight. Just click on my penname. **

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**Adios!**


	29. Worth It

**Hi ya'll! (Texan talkin')**

**My apologies for the delay. I've had some serious writer's block. Thank you for sticking around and not flouncing me like I deserve. **

**So here it is, second to last chappie.**

* * *

Chapter 29- Worth it

EPOV

I stare at the TV on mute. I took away the sound when Mom called to wish me a goodnight and I've ignored it ever since. My weary eyes stare at the moving images and my ears only hear my steady breathing.

I used to enjoy being alone. When I used to live with my family, though great and fun, I couldn't wait to find an excuse to retire to my room and get away. I dreaded the holidays. The house would get loud and uncomfortable with people that I only saw twice or less a year but that I had to be nice to. I guess I was an ass.

But my fondness for loneliness continued into my early twenties and especially after Kate died. Nobody understood my need to be alone with my thoughts, not even her and I was okay with that. I didn't need to explain myself to them.

I just needed to get away.

But lately there has been this ache in my chest. I don't find pleasure in my solitude anymore. I get anxious and agitated with myself. I spend a lot of time in the hospital working, but it's when I start to drive home that I really being to wonder.

What am I driving to? To an empty apartment and to my TV screen?

As cheesy as it sounds, the ache only goes away when I'm with her.

Oh, yes.

I'm too old to worry about how cheesy or weak I may come off. Meeting Kid in that alley six years ago taught me so much about life and what I take for granted.

I learned that sometimes we don't pick the life that is given to us, but we have to make it worth something. We have to do and say things that maybe scare us. We have to take chances. There is no time for bullshit and the "what ifs" of life. If something doesn't work out, I'll learn from the mistake.

I couldn't stop thinking about that this entire day.

Why did I tell Bella that I needed time?

I know what I want. I know what I need.

I have to tell her. If she pushes me away, well…

It'll hurt like hell, but I'll continue fighting, because that's what she taught me. You fight no matter how the odds are stacked against you or how ridiculous it might seem to everyone else.

The TV and the lights flicker as lighting and thunder are heard outside my window. I smile to myself realizing I'm in home sweet home Seattle. I turn the TV off and head over the kitchen for some water. Before I can make it, there is a light knock at my door making me jump.

It's late and the weather is insane.

Who could it be?

I unlock and open my door. My heart and breathing stop as I take in the image of my girl.

"Edward," she whispers.

Her hair and clothes are soaked and there a few bloody cuts on her face. She's shaking from the cold and maybe fright. The strong girl I've come to know these past few days is no more and in front of me stands the shaky version of her.

"Bella! What's wrong? What happened to you?" I shout and pull her into my apartment and into my embrace. I wrap my arms around her small body and feel as she silently sobs into my chest. "Baby, talk to me. Did someone hurt you?"

I feel at a loss as she pulls away. My arms automatically seek to bring her back. But I let her step back and regain her breath, hoping for some answers.

She shoves her hair away from her face and I grimace at the small scratches on her forehead and right cheek. "Come here," I tell her as I pull her into my bathroom. I put a rag under the running faucet water and carefully and gently clean her wounds.

She lets me take care of her.

"You gotta tell me what happened, beautiful."

"I know," she whispers, looking a little disappointed. She licks her lips and slowly raises her deep brown eyes up to meet mine.

I stop moving and let my greedy eyes wander across her perfect pale skin. I caress her cheekbones and the few freckles on her nose. I take in a deep breath, smiling at how even after being soaked by the rain, she still smells like warmth and…Bella.

I finally notice her trembling and I feel like an idiot.

"Sorry, Bella. Let me put some alcohol on these cuts and then I'll get you some dry clothes."

She just nods and lets me finish.

I rush into my room and grab the smallest pieces of clothing I own, which will probably still fit her huge. She takes the items from my hands and waits for me to exit the bathroom. I don't realize it until she raises an eyebrow, questioning my presence.

"Oh, right. I'll wait for you out here, in my bedroom," I say.

I sit on my bed, feeling the déjà vu. This feels familiar.

I nervously rub my hands together, hoping nothing bad has happened to her. She's taking her time to come out of the restroom, so my mind starts to conjure possible scenarios that injured her and have caused her to be in this strange state of shock.

I sigh in desperation, walk over to the bathroom door and give it a knock.

"Bella? Are you alright?"

No answer.

I keep knocking and calling her name when suddenly the door snatches open. I find her drowning in my high school t-shirt and sweat pants. Her damp hair is a curled mess on top of her head and her cheeks are a perfect shade of pink. She's so beautiful that I can't help my need to touch her and reach to caress her cheek with my hand. Before I can have that sweet contact, she takes my hand in her smaller, cold one and places a gentle kiss on my palm.

"Please tell me what's wrong, Bella. You're killing me here," I whisper.

"I've missed you," she simply says, exhaling a warm breath across the skin of my arm.

"I'm here." I pull her to sit with me on my bed. She doesn't hesitate and after sitting next to me, rests her head against my shoulder. The sweet scent from her lotion or shampoo surrounds me and I can't help but close my eyes as I rest my own head against hers.

"I didn't mean to f-f-frighten you," she says. "I just d-didn't have a good night."

"Why do you have those scratches on your face?"

She takes a deep breath and snuggles her hands with mine again. "I got robbed."

I automatically jump to my feet. "What the hell? Did you call the cops? Who was the motherfucker? Jesus…" I start pacing, looking for my cell phone. "I'm gonna call them right now. What did he look like? Was he armed? I bet that piece of shi…"

"Edward, calm down. They just t-t-took my purse. There was nothing in it."

"But they hurt you!"

"Yes, and that's what I told the police, now can you please just s-sit with me for a moment?"

"Bella, I can't believe…"

"I just need you for one p-peaceful moment," she pleas to me and I can't help but surrender.

I sit back down and she returns her head to my shoulder.

"I can't…I just can't think of anybody hurting you. It drives me mad. I'll kill those assholes," I assure her.

"Can I just lay in bed with you? I know it m-m-might be a little inappropriate, but I'm tired."

"Of course, Bella, whatever you need."

She slowly crawls under the covers and holds them open for me.

"Oh, you want me…to…umm." I cringe at the sound of my stupidity.

She smiles and nods.

"Your father is going to kill me."

"That's why you m-m-must hurry."

I lie facing her and with my arm under my head. We don't say anything for a while. She just stares at my face with those big brown eyes that could cripple any man with one soft look.

I realize I'm completely at her mercy. If she moves, I move. If she hurts, I sure as hell hurt.

"Please talk to me. Please tell me those scratches on your face were the only thing I'll kill those dogs for. Tell me they didn't hurt you in any other way."

She nods, her eyes fixed on my right hand that rests in front of her and begins to trace the veins there. Her finger tip barely makes any contact with my skin, yet I tremble at the warmth that spreads up my arm and into my chest.

The room is dark, but I can see as her eyes move and wander up my arm and then look into my own.

"You remember that night those p-p-people were hurting you?" She finally asks. It's not what I want to talk about now, but I don't push it.

"Of course I do. That's the night that changed my life, because it brought me to you."

She smiles and continues tracing my skin. "I slept behind a dumpster that night," she whispers. "I was so scared they were going to k-k-kill me. I got so c-c-old and miserable that I began to question what was the reason I wanted to stay alive anyway. I had nobody. I had nothing." She stays silent for a moment, taking another deep breath. "I never th-thought about death or giving up. I was always determined to f-f-fight and live. I wanted to live, even th-th-though I had such rotten luck. But that night was different."

"I'm so sorry. It was all my fault," I tell her.

"No, it wasn't your f-f-fault. I'm the one that made that decision. As I shook against the cold d-d-dumpster and wet wall, I thought about good reasons why I was living through all of that p-p-pain and sadness. I didn't think of any. What the hell was the p-p-point? I had finally admitted to myself that I had been wanting to g-g-g-give up for ages. It was the moment I felt my hopeless truth, but then…"

"But then what?"

"But then I thought of your eyes."

"My eyes?"

"Yes. The way the street lights lit your face to my own lucky eyes…it was just p-p-perfect. I thought to myself, 'if someone so beautiful can exist with that v-v-vibrant fire in his eyes, then this world must be worth living in.'"

"Bella," I whisper. Her name breaking at the last syllable.

"Don't you see, Edward? We both saved each other that n-n-night. I d-d-didn't realize it until tonight. This whole t-t-time I thought I had been the one to save you, but when that man pulled me out of the car and aimed a gun at my face, threatening to take my life, I thought of you. I thought about the night I had d-d-decided to live and _stay_ that way because _you_ lived. I hoped he wouldn't h-hu-hurt me so that I could thank you."

"Bella, please," I cry. My chest aches at her words and my hands tremble as they reach for her face. "I'm nothing compared to you…you don't have to thank me for anything. I wasn't the brave one…"

"Shh, you have to hear this, you s-s-stubborn man. I may have needed time to grow and mature and you may have needed time away from me so that you could f-f-forget the child that I once was, but we're back and I remember. I remember who we were and who we are. I remember what we are to each other and what we're meant to be."

"Tell me what this."

"I love you, Edward," she cries, caressing my face with her soft hands. "I always have and always will. Remember when you told me there was a t-t-tight b-b-bond between you and I?"

"Yes, of course. I believe it. I truly do."

"So do I. We might have forgotten about it during these six years, but I can f-f-feel it."

"Me too, Bella and I love you. I love you so much. I was stupid not to see it before...I'm just a damn fool."

She smiles again and kisses my cheek, leaving me stunned. I cup her cheek now warm with our closeness and with my other hand pull her even closer to me. She sighs as she snuggles her head into my chest. I press my lips against her forehead as our bodies rest together. I inhale her scent and smile as I feel her small arms wrap around me.

"I t-t-told Charlie I would be staying with Alice."

"I'm assuming that was a lie? Or at least I hope it's a lie and you stay with me. I mean, if you haven't thought about it, you really should. I think we both sleep well in each other's presence. Of course that's only…"

"Shut up!" She says and for the first time all worrisome night, I hear laughter in her voice.

"Rest well. You need it."

"I need you."

"That's okay, because I need you too."

"Is it really okay?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because I'm supposed to be this m-m-mature and strong woman now. I've worked s-s-so hard so you could see me that way."

"And I do see you that way, but there is nothing wrong with needing someone…like I need you."

She kisses my chest and lets out a deep breath. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight…I'll make you toast in the morning."

I hear her soft giggle. "I would love that."

~NLG~

I open my eyes. The room is dark and I'm guessing it's still night so I try to go back to sleep, but I notice I'm facing away from Bella and that she is no longer resting on my chest.

She was always a crazy sleeper that one.

Before I can turn and check on her, I feel her arm sneaking around me and her small face snuggling into my back.

"The book, Edward, its broken. We gotta…" she mutters in her sleep.

I chuckle silently, hoping I don't wake her with my shaking body.

She hasn't changed completely and that's a good thing.

~NLG~

Bella blushes as I wipe away some strawberry jelly from the corner of her mouth with my thumb.

"I've always been a messy e-e-eater."

"Tell me about it," I tease.

She takes another huge bite from her toast. "Do you work today?" she asks with a mouth full of jelly and bread.

I wrinkle my face in fake disgust, earning me a playful jab to my arm from her.

"No, I don't work today. It's your lucky day! We can hang out…if you want."

She nods. "Of course I do."

"Cool. What do you wanna do?"

She smiles. "Just."

"Just?"

"Just hang out with you."

"Sounds like fun. How do your scrapes feel? They look better."

"And they feel better too. Do you have an extra t-t-toothbrush?"

"Um, yes." I walk with her to my bathroom and show her where to find the brush and toothpaste.

I wait for her on my couch as I flip channels. I keep looking back towards the door, anxious to see her again. Once she finally gets done, she walks over and let's herself fall next to me.

"What are we watching?" She asks, placing her head against my shoulder.

I chuckle and give her the remote. "You choose, and then maybe we can go out, watch a movie and grab some lunch."

"Sure," she says and settles back when she lands on the cartoon channel.

I chuckle again and revel at how normal all this feels. How we feel.

It's like suddenly that strange weariness I was feeling for so long has now disappeared. I no longer watch the TV on mute and contemplate what is missing in my life.

I know what was missing all along and I have her now resting her head on my shoulder as her giggles at the silly cartoons make me laugh right alongside with her.

~NLG~

"And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all," Bella read from my new copy of _Where the Wild Things Are_ as she waits for me to finish getting ready to head out. She had kept my first copy and when I saw it at a bookstore in Chicago, it reminded me of her and I bought it without a second thought.

I smile as I fix my shirt.

She lies across my bed. She didn't even ask if she could. She's just made herself completely at home and the reasons for that excite me.

"Who would have thought M-M-Max and I had so much in c-c-common?" She says.

I chuckle and sit next to her. We don't say anything, unafraid of the silence. I smile to myself and at her as the seconds continue. There is something so special about just being in her presence. Nothing else matters but the rhythm of her breathing and the gentle smiles she directs my way.

She sits up and her leg brushes against mine.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" I ask.

"Yes."

"I was so scared when you showed up last night, looking the way you did. I was so afraid something had happened to you. I wish that those idiots wouldn't have even looked your way."

"I'm okay, really. I was scared, but now th-that I'm here with you, I can't imagine being anywhere else."

I look down at her plump lips as her face nears mine. Her warmth once again surrounds me and weakens my strengths that once kept me away.

"I can't imagine you anywhere else but here with me," I tell her and she closes the distance between our lips.

As her soft and warm lips gently press to mine, I sigh and lose myself in the feeling that I've denied myself for so long.

* * *

**One more and this baby is over.**

**Kinda sad :((**

**Leave me some last(ing) love for Kid in the review box and let me know what has been your favorite scene or part of the first 29 chapters of NLG! I would love to know since its coming to an end!**

**Adios**


	30. All We Do Is Hope

Chapter 30- All we do is hope

BPOV

"_Hey! Hey, you!"_

_Lynn's chubby fingers poke my side. I sit up and rub my eyes. I'm still very sleepy. The floor isn't very comfortable and my arm hurts from sleeping on it. Maybe I should sleep on my sweater. The thing has holes anyway._

"_Breakfast is ready," she says and I feel her walk away. The floor cracks and complains with each of her steps._

_I sit there on the floor for a little while. It's snowing outside and I like to stare at it fall through the window. It reminds me of that movie Lynn played for me that night she let me watch TV while she went out._

"_Hey, kid! I said breakfast is ready! Come here…dammit what's your name? Just come here, kid."_

_I rush over to the breakfast table and start eating my scrambled eggs. Lynn always makes scrambled eggs, even at night. _

_She ignores me and Samuel as she counts the money in her purse._

"_One day, kids, you're gonna be broke as hell like me," she says. "You'll have to sweat for every dollar. Be grateful you have scrambled eggs to eat."_

_The phone rings and she huffs and puffs as she walks over to answer it._

"_Hello? Yes…what? You said were gonna pick him up tonight? Wha…no. He's your son too…well fuck you, Jerry." She slams the phone down and sits at the table again._

"_He isn't coming, is he?" Samuels asks sadly._

_She doesn't answer. He slams his hands down on the table and leaves. I jump when I hear his room's door violently close shut._

"_Hey! It ain't my fault or the tables,' damn boy," she shouts as she lights a cigarette. She sucks on it for a long time and then lets out a bunch of smoke from her mouth and nose._

_I try not to breathe it in. That stuff stinks._

"_You know, Kid, you're cute. You got a button nose and pretty brown eyes. You're gonna grow up to be a pretty lady. You want a piece of advice?"_

_I nod, because I don't know what else to do._

_She lets out another breath of stinky smoke and leans closer to me._

"_If you got something good, don't let it go. You don't get a lot of good things in life, so don't be picky. Keep what you love," she says and lights another cigarette. _

~NLG~

I've been awake for a while now. My eyes, tired of sleeping, stare at the sunrays as they sneak through Edward's curtains and illuminate the room. It's a warm morning and I love this temperature. The sun used to be my guarantee that I would have a warm and maybe great day.

As I feel his fingertips ghosting over my arm, I smile realizing today will be no different.

He presses his warm lips against my shoulder before I turn and face him. His face is still full of sleep, but his green eyes shine and his lips still give me that damn smirk I love. I caress his stubbly jaw line with my fingers, feeling how it tickles my skin.

"You're a crazy sleeper," he mutters with a playful chuckle.

"Lies."

"Nope. I think you had a whole conversation with someone in your dream and out loud."

"What d-d-did I say?" I ask, suddenly feeling heat in my cheeks.

"I couldn't really understand your gibberish, but it seemed pretty intense. You slapped my arm at one point."

"Oh, no. I'm so embarrassed," I cry into his shoulder.

"Don't be. It was kinda cute," he says with a chuckle.

"Hush. You can't possibly say that after I almost injured you in my sleep."

He laughs, the vibrations tickling my cheek. "I think I won't mind the slapping and the talking. I mean eventually I will, but that's life."

I giggle at his silliness, but quickly stop as his suggestion that we'll have more nights together.

We stay silent for a while, just listening to each other breathe and the noises outside the apartment building. I trace the hairs on his arm and draw imaginary lines from his wrist up to his shoulder, marveling at his bicep on my way there. I take a few greedy moments to wander over his fit chest and finally realize why it is that I love it when he wears tight sleeveless muscle shirts. When my eyes meet his, his lips turn up in a glorious smile.

I blush as he's caught me checking him out and bury my face into his neck.

He continues chuckling as I groan in embarrassment.

He moves us around so that I'm now fully resting my body on top of his. I take in a gentle breath of his warm scent and snuggle closer into his skin. I love the feel of him. I love how his warmness surrounds me in this cold morning and holds me to him. "Today feels like a lazy day," he hums into the side of my head.

"It does, but I have to go into work later."

"Bull! You can't stay in bed with me?"

I giggle. "We just got a little newborn that just c-c-came into our care. She's officially the youngest ch-ch-child we have. Poor little girl w-w-won't ever know her mom or dad."

"I'm sure under your people's care and with the foster parents she'll do great. She'll have a home with you guys. That's what all children deserve…a home," he assures me.

"But love? A home isn't j-j-just a place, Edward. I always worry all these kids will miss out on th-th-that."

"They'll find it. They'll find it like you did and like how I've found a home in you," he whispers and presses his lips against my cheek, the warmth of his lips spreads through my skin and down to my racing heart.

We lie in bed together for a few more silent and peaceful minutes until he comes to the bright conclusion that he'll make us breakfast while I wash my clothes and shower again.

I hear him singing in the kitchen as I shove my clothes into his dryer. He's been singing the same part of the same song for twenty minutes now. I giggle when he starts singing louder and louder.

"You're just awful!" I shout.

"That's stings, Bella! Why must you burst my bubble of singing happiness?"

"Because," I start saying as I walk into the kitchen. "It was b-b-bursting my ear drums."

He laughs, the sound echoing in the apartment as he pulls me into his arms. He lays a quick peck on my lips and then inspects the wounds on my face.

"They look much better. Are you still feeling shaken up?"

I smile and return my lips to his. "No, because you're with me."

He chuckles and takes a hold of my face with his rough and manly hands and pulls me closer to him. He gently presses his lips to mine, his tongue tracings my lips. I gasp, not expecting his eagerness as he slides it into my mouth, meeting mine. He tastes like minty toothpaste and like…Edward. I grab a hold of his cheeks for dear life as warmth spreads from my lips to my cheeks and down my neck.

It's a feeling like no other.

When I shared my awkward first kiss with Jacob, I kept blaming myself for being so inexperienced. I thought maybe it was just me and my "delayed social maturity" like the physiatrist said. Our relationship didn't last long and I thought maybe I was always going to be weird around boys.

But then Edward pressed his demanding lips to mine.

His hands gently rubbing down my back and grasping onto my waist quickly make me forget any past failures and I moan into his mouth when he pulls me closer to his hard body. His lips pull at mine and when he releases them with a loud "smack," I tremble as they find purchase on my neck. He lightly sucks at the skin there before running his lips up to my temple, cheek, and finally back onto my lips.

When he finally steps back, I have to grab onto the counter behind me. I hold onto my chest as I try to control my breathing so I won't pass out.

"Wh-wha-what wa-wa," I stutter and shake my head. This is his fault. "What was th-that?"

He smirks. I want to roll my eyes at his cockiness and good kissing talent, but I end up smiling at him.

Damn it.

"You didn't like it, Ms. Swan? Shall we try again?" He asks slowly making his way towards me again.

"S-s-step back, you animal!"

He laughs and instead of attacking me again, and to my disappointment, he lays a sweet peck on the corner of my mouth and demands I sit so he can serve me breakfast.

Scrambled eggs and toast.

We eat while talking about his job and his family. What I would love to do on a week off and how we can manage to have lunch every day.

I get dressed with him talking about the reasons I should have dinner with him. He is facing the wall with eyes closed and promising not to take a peek at me.

I kiss him on the cheek, say yes to his dinner date and head to the door.

~NLG~

I get fresh clothes from home and head over to work. As I reach the top step, I hear hurried steps and my name.

"Isabella! Isabella, wait!"

I turn and find John, my grandfather. I haven't seen him in months. I occasionally see him at Charlie's company or after a quick visit with my mother. He looks much older. He's lost most of his hair now and looks like he should eat more.

"May I have a quick word with you, Isabella?" He asks and gives me a nervous smile. It's the same one Renee gives me sometimes.

I don't say anything and just nod.

His cold blue eyes wander over my face and a more certain smile appears on his mouth. "You look just like Charles' mother. She was a good friend of mine growing up. But you also have my mother's small nose and heart shaped face. You're pretty just like her."

I don't know what he wants or why he's saying these things to me. He's never really talked to me. He's given me head nods of acknowledgement and Christmas cards, but nothing more.

He rubs his bald head and lets out a deep breath.

"I've never really been good with words," he confesses while looking at his feet.

"Neither have I."

He chuckles. "You got that from me then."

"No," I say shortly. "I got th-th-that from Mr. Lewis, one of my foster parents. I also got my defensiveness from Jessica, my best friend from the streets."

The smile disappears. "Where did you get your wit?"

"That would be Maria. She helped me run a-a-away from Mr. Lewis who used to b-b-beat me." I don't know why my sudden and hidden bitterness comes out around this man. I don't regret my words. I just wish I wouldn't stutter them out. I wish I sounded stronger.

But that's me and always has been.

I can see my words sting and I never thought I would manage to hurt this cold man. I should rejoice in my victory, but instead I feel pity as he nervously rubs his hands together.

"I know you hate me and you should. I've always been aware of your true feelings for me, but unlike what you believe, Isabella, I truly have felt so much guilt."

"You're right. I don't believe you."

He sighs. "That night…that night I held you in my arms as the lady in the front desk completed your paperwork. You were so small. You were so vulnerable. You were just a baby. But even as a newborn I knew you would be a fighter. You wiggled so hard and almost fell out of my grasp." He chuckles. "The lady said 'she'll be a fighter, that one.' I stood there thinking how you would do fine. It wasn't like I was throwing you away. But as I left the orphanage, every step that I took felt so heavy. And every once in a while, I would wonder how much of a fight you had to put up every day and if you were hungry or upset."

"Well you d-d-don't have to think about it anymore. I'm doing fine and you didn't even have to m-m-move a finger."

"That's because you're a fighter!"

"Why are you here?" I ask him coldly.

He clears his throat and steps a little closer to me. "I came to ask…beg for your forgiveness, Isabella. You and I both know I'll never be able to make it up to you, but I must know you forgive me. If I could take what I did back, I would. I would. I swear it."

I pull my coat tighter around me. The cold digging into my skin. "I forgive you. It's not like me to hold grudges. N-next time we-wear a better coat. You'll get sick out here," I say and head inside, leaving him out in the cold Seattle breeze.

~NLG~

"Yo, Kid, where the hell have you been?" Jessica asks as I settle into my desk. "You've had me worried sick. They told me you showed up bloody and a crying mess with that little baby in your arms last night. Now, don't lie to me. I know all about bruises. That shit on your face is nasty."

I shake my head at her. "Thanks, Jess. I f-f-feel so much better."

"I'm serious, Kid! What the hell happen?"

"I got mugged."

"What the…holy shit! Who? Was it them Lucas brothers? Or that stupid white boy with the fucking tattoo on his face? Tell me who it was, Kid, and I'll have Frank look into it."

"You won't have F-F-Frank do anything and I don't know who these kids were," I tell her.

She sits down in front of me. "Are you sure? Because nobody messes with you, Kid. I already told you. Frank can…"

"Your brother needs to stop. D-d-does he need a job?"

"No! For the tenth time, Kiddy! And if he did, I wouldn't want him around here. He's fucking crazy. But seriously…you alright?"

"Yes, Jess, thank you for worrying."

"Well…that's good." She taps her fingers on my desk for a minute then sits up. "Hey, I got you something!"

"What? Why?"

"What do you mean why? I'm you're damn friend, Kid!"

"Of course…I…"

"Just shut up and let me go get it." She jumps to her feet and leaves my office for a few seconds. I smile at her enthusiasm. Without knocking she barges in with a large basket full of…apples.

She places it on my desk and starts laughing. "You remember you would always ask me for apples at my shitty place? I thought; why not give her a big basket now that I got money. That's what friends do and shit. I hope…" she stops talking when she looks at me in the eyes. "Well why the hell are ya crying, Kid?"

I giggle as I wipe my face. "It's just…it's just so sweet of you," I whisper and before she can say anything else, I stand and give her a tight hug. "Thank you f-f-for being such a good friend, Jess."

She finally tightens her own grasp on me and holds me close. "Thanks for saving my life, Kid," she whispers.

She shyly pulls away and starts walking out the door.

"Hey, Jess, don't you want one?" I ask.

"Nah, I'm good."

"You know want one or even two."

She laughs. "Okay, you're right. I'll take two."

~NLG~

"So these girls were taken out of the aunt's custody?" I ask Lisa from social services over the phone. It looks likes we're getting three more girls. "Drug abuse?" I sigh. I don't understand people that can live that kind of life with innocent kids around.

"Bella," Lisa starts, "The reason I'm calling you specifically is because before the mother passed away she had requested for them go to you."

"Me?" I ask confused.

"Yeah. She said she knew your place would take good care of her little girls."

"How did she know that?"

"She said she used to know you. Her name is…or was Maria."

I gasp.

My eyes fill with tears and it takes me a moment to control my breathing.

"You okay, Bella?"

"Yeah," I whisper. "Maria, used to be a good friend of mine."

"I'm sorry. From what the kids tell me, she was a really good mom."

"I bet."

"They'll be there tomorrow."

"Okay, we'll be ready."

~NLG~

"I feel like I could have d-d-done something. I never looked for her," I tell Edward as he rocks my in his arms. I decided to pay him a visit for lunch. I needed to talk to someone. I needed for someone to hear me out. He took one look at my face and asked me what was wrong.

He presses his lips to my temple and takes a deep breath. "Bella, love, you can't save or help everybody. You can't place the weight of the world on your shoulders. If you do, you'll go mad."

"But she was my f-f-friend."

"So you'll help her children. You'll give them the support they need. They'll finally get to meet the amazing 'Kid' they've heard about so much," he says and I can feel his lips turn up into a smile against my skin.

I sigh and give him quick kiss. "You're right. I'm gonna give them a home."

He smiles and presses his lips back to mine. He takes my bottom lip in between his and I quickly feel that same fire I felt early this morning spread across my skin. I pull away gasping for breath and playfully push him away, but he doesn't move an inch.

"You're dangerous, Edward."

He chuckles and kisses my cheek. "I love you. Know that you'll never suffer again. You'll never be alone and you'll always have a home with me."

I can't help myself. I wrap my arms around his neck and desperately press my lips to his. I sigh knowing his words are honest and full of love.

I can feel it in my skin.

"I love you, Edward."

~NLG~

"Mama always said that we had to wash our hands before eating or we wouldn't be able to do this," Lola says and licks the BBQ sauce off her fingers. She then digs her spoon into pudding and shoves it into her little mouth.

I smile at her and wipe away some sauce and pudding from her cheeks. Her dark eyes look up at me and she gifts me with a cute smile. She's missing both front teeth, but she doesn't let that stop her.

I turn and find little Janette too busy with her chicken nuggets to mind me. She loves the food so much, that she's already dipped her black curls into the sauce.

I wish Isabella would have the same enthusiasm. She the oldest at 10, named after me and the one that seems to be taking the loss of her mom the hardest.

"Hey, Isabella, why don't you eat?" I ask her and push the food closer to her.

She shakes her head and continues tracing invisible patterns on the table.

Lola accidently drops her spoon, making the other two girls jump as it lands loudly on the tile floor.

"Lola!" Isabella shouts. "Sit up and stop playing with your food. You're acting up. Do you need timeout?"

Little Lola shyly shakes her head and continues picking at her chicken. When she sees that her sister is acting better, Isabella turns away and continues tracing lines with her skinny finger.

After a few minutes, I see that Lola and Janette are done so I send them to wash their face and hands and stay at the table with Isabella.

We stay in silence for a moment before I place my hand over hers. "You don't have to be the adult or their mom. You're just a k-k-kid," I tell her. "That's why you're here. So that you can be taken c-c-care of."

"Mom took care of us," she says, not looking at me. "She cooked _atole _and _manzanilla _when we were sick and read to us." Her brown eyes quickly fill with tears and I see that she is trying and fighting with herself.

I feel my heart ache. She's only 10 and she's already trying to hide how she really feels.

"I didn't have a mom when I was your age," I tell her.

"You didn't?"

"No, I didn't. I d-d-didn't even know her, but I missed her every night before I went to sleep. I w-would wonder if I looked like her or if she missed me." I gently squeeze at her tiny hand. "I also cried a lot."

Suddenly large tears fall from her eyes and land violently on the table. She doesn't bother trying to hide them anymore and finally looks at me. Her bottom lip trembles and a huge breath leaves her body.

"I need her," she tells me with a broken voice. "I don't wanna be lonely."

I swallow the lump in my throat, sit at her side and wrap my arms around her.

"You'll never be alone, sweetie. You'll miss your m-m-mom of course, but I'll be here for you to help you become the best you can become."

She places her face into my chest and cries until she becomes tired as I stare out the window.

~NLG~

Jessica thinks I'm crazy when I tell her I'm going for a walk at lunch. She doesn't understand how I can feel safe after being mobbed.

I really just needed to walk…

As I walk down the familiar street I once spent so much time on, I begin to sort out my memories.

There at the corner is that gas station I used to check the time at. I know now the name of it. "Gas n Go." Not very clever.

There, just before the gas station, is that burger place I used to run to when I finally had enough change to get something to eat.

Across the street is that hotdog stand where I would find buns in the dumpster and way down to the right, past the hair salon and small bank is that church with the scary statues. I continue walking and when I pass the church, I find the police station and I know that just a few blocks away, past that park I used to sleep at is that old bridge.

I make my way under it finding my old sleeping spot grassy and full of trash. I kick the trash out of the way and sit down, leaning my back against the cold wall. I automatically miss Dolly's company, but I smile as my belly doesn't growl and I don't smell. My jacket is warm and not full of holes and my shoes do keep my feet safe.

My phone rings.

It's Edward.

I'm also not alone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella, Jess said you went for a walk. Do you still have time to stop for a burger?"

I smile. "Yes."

"Cool. I'll see you at that burger joint we both like."

"Okay. I'll meet you there."

"Hey do you wanna come home tonight and have dinner with me? I'll cook…because you know…I'm trying to impress you."

I giggle. "Did you ask me to come home with you?"

"Ha! I did. Will you come home tonight…with me?"

I grin so hard it hurts my cold cheeks. "Yeah, I'll come home."

~NLG~

"_Hey, Kid?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_What do you wanna be when you grow up?" Maria asks._

_I groan, because I'm sleepy and I've been trying to sleep for the past hour already. I wrap the thin blanket around me and try to make Dolly a more comfortable pillow as I dig my head into her softness. But you can never really be comfortable on the dirty floor of an alley._

"_I've al-al-already t-t-told you."_

_She giggles. "But tell me again, Kid. I love what you say."_

"_You're c-c-crazy."_

"_Please?"_

_I sigh and turn over and face her. I lick my dry lips and smile. "What I wa-wa-wanna be when I g-g-grow up?"_

"_Yeah." She pulls her beanie further down her forehead._

"_I wanna be a g-g-g-ood person. It d-d-doesn't matter what happens to me. I want a g-g-good heart and I always wa-w-wanna be good."_

_Maria smiles and closes her eyes. She yawns and snuggles into my side._

"_Well, Kid, I know you will. You have a good heart. The rest of us just hope for the same. All we do is hope."_

_The End_

* * *

**Ah! That's it my people! Kid's story is over. It felt weird pressing the "Complete" button.**

**I wanna thank all of you for reading, reviewing, pimping, favs and an overall love! Kid happened because of your support.**

**Thanks to Cejsmom, Bobbi Wordsmith, Vee Solis, all my twitter and FB friends and everyone at the NLG FB group for the support! You guys rock.**

**Thanks to Cherieblossom, my awesome and most favoritest (not a word) Canadian friend (haha) for harassing me for updates, taking Dolly hostage, making fun of my TexMex and spaming my phone with Kristen pictures. Love you long time.**

**Thanks to my real life friends, Sandy, Mag, Jen, Kim, Mel and anyone else I let read my stuff in fear you would judge me! Thanks for…umm…for not judging me? Yes? Love you guys! **

**P.S If you're disappointed there weren't any lemons…though I LOVE me some lemons…this just wasn't the story for it. Maybe in future outtakes haha.**

**Adios and hugs for Kid.**


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